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Water-Supply and Irrigation Paper No. 101 Series 0, Underground Waters, 23 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

CHARLES D. WALCOTT, DIRECTOR 



UNDERGROUND WATERS 



SOUTHERN LOUISIANA 



BY 



GILBERT DENNISON HARRIS 



WITH DISCUSSIONS OF THEIR USES FOR WATER SUPPLIES 
AND FOR RICE IRRIGATION 

BY 

M. L. FULLER 




WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
1904 



PUBLICATIONS OF UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 

The publications of the United States Geological Survey consist of (1) Annual Reports; (2) 
Monographs; (3) Professional Papers; (4) Bulletins; (5) Mineral Resources; (6) Water-Supply and 
Irrigation Papers; (7) Topographic Atlas of United States, folios and separate sheets thereof; (8) 
Geologic Atlas of United States, folios thereof. The classes numbered 2, 7, and 8 are sold at cost 
of publication; the others are distributed free. A circular giving complete lists may be had on 
application. 

The Professional Papers, Bulletins, and Water-Supply Papers treat of a variety of subjects and the 
total number issued is large. They have therefore been classified into the following series: A, Eco- 
nomic geology; B, Descriptive geology; C, Systematic geology and paleontology; D, Petrography and 
mineralogy; E, Chemistry and physics; F, Geography; G, Miscellaneous; H, Forestry; I, Irrigation; 
J, Water storage; K, Pumping water; L, Quality of water; M, General hydrographic investigations; 
N, Water power; O, Underground waters; P, Hydrographic progress reports. 

The following Water-Supply Papers are out of stock, and can no longer be supplied: Nos. 1-16, 19, 
20, 22, 29-34, 36, 39, 40, 43, 46, 57-65, 75. Complete lists of papers relating to water supply and allied 
subjects follow. (PP=Professional Paper; B=Bulletin; WS=Water-Supply Paper.) 

Series I — Irrigation. 

WS 2. Irrigation near Phcenix, Ariz., by A. P. Davis. 1897. 98 pp., 31 pis. and maps. 

WS 5. Irrigation practice on the Great Plains, by E. B. Cowgill. 1897. 39 pp., 11 pis. 

WS 9. Irrigation near Greeley, Colo., by David Boyd. 1897. 90 pp., 21 pis. 

WS 10. Irrigation in Mesilla Valley, New Mexico, by F. C. Barker. 1898. 51 pp., 11 pis. 

WS 13. Irrigation systems in Texas, by W. F. Hutson. 1898. 68 pp., 10 pis. 

WS 17. Irrigation near Bakersfield, Cal., by C. E. Grunsky. 1898. 96 pp., 16 pis. 

WS 18. Irrigation near Fresno, Cal., by C. E. Grunsky. 1898. 94 pp., 14 pis. 

WS 19. Irrigation near Merced, Cal., by C. E. Grunsky. 1899. 59 pp., 11 pis. 

WS 23. Water-right problems of Bighorn Mountains, by Elwood Mead. 1899. 62 pp., 7 pis. 

WS 32. Water resources of Porto Rico, by H. M. Wilson. 1899. 48 pp., 17 pis. and maps. 

WS 43. Conveyance of water in irrigation canals, flumes, and pipes, by Samuel Fortier. 1901. 86 pp., 

15 pis. * 

WS 70. Geology and water resources of the Patrick and Goshen Hole quadrangles, Wyoming, by 

G. I. Adams. 1902. 50 pp., 11 pis. 
WS 71. Irrigation systems of Texas, by T. U. Taylor. 1902. 137 pp., 9 pis. 
WS 74. Water resources of the State of Colorado, by A. L. Fellows. 1902. 151 pp., 14 pis. 
WS 87. Irrigation in India (second edition), by H. M. Wilson. 1903. 238 pp., 27 pis. 
WS 93. Proceedings of first conference of engineers of the reclamation service, with accompanying 

papers, compiled by F. H. Newell, chief engineer. 1904. 361 pp. 
The following papers also relate especially to irrigation: Irrigation in India, by H. M. Wilson, iu 
Twelfth Annual, Pt. II; two papers on irrigation engineering, by H. M. Wilson, in Thirteenth Annual, 
Pt. III. 

Series J— Water Storage. 

WS 33. Storage of water on Gila River, Arizona, by J. B. Lippincott. 1900. 98 pp., 33 pis. 

WS 40. The Austin dam, by Thomas U. Taylor. 1900. 51 pp., 16 pis. 

WS 45. Water storage on Cache Creek, California, by A. E. Chandler. 1901. 48 pp., 10 pis. 

WS46. Physical characteristics of Kern River, California, by F. H. Olmsted, and Reconnaissance of 

Yuba River, California, by Marsden Manson. 1901. 57 pp., 8 pis. 
WS 68. Storage of water on Kings River, California, by J. B. Lippincott. 1902. 100 pp., 32 pis. 
WS 68. Water storage in Truckee Basin, California-Nevada, by L. H. Taylor. 1902. 90 pp., 8 pis. 
WS 73. Water storage on Salt River, Arizona, by A. P. Davis. 1902. 54 pp., 25 pis. 
WS 86. Storage reservoirs on Stony Creek, California, by Burt Cole. 1903. 62 pp., 16 pis. 
WS 89. Water resources of Salinas Valley, California, by Homer Hamlin. 1904. 91 pp., 12 pis. 
WS 93. Proceedings of first conference of engineers of the reclamation service, with accompanying 

papers, compiled by F. H. Newell, chief engineer. 1904. 361 pp. 
The following paper also should be noted under this heading: Reservoirs for irrigation, by J. D. 
Bchuyler, in Eighteenth Annual, Pt. IV. 

IRE 101—2 



Water-Supply and Irrigation Paper No. 101 



Series 0, Underground Waters, 23 



DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

CHARLES D. WALCOTT, Director 



UNDERGROUND WATERS 



OF 



SOUTHERN LOUISIANA 



GILBERT DENNISON HARRIS 



WITH DISCUSSIONS OF THEIR USES FOR WATER SUPPLIES 
AND FOR RICE IRRIGATION 



M. L. FULLER 




WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
19 04 

c« 






SEP 23 1904 
D.ofD, 






CONTENTS. 



Letter of transmittal, by F. H. Newell 9 

Prefatory remarks , . 11 

Origin of artesian and deep-well waters in southern Louisiana 12 

Precipitation 1 12 

Gulf waters as a source of supply of deep wells 13 

Kiver waters as a source of supply 13 

Topography of southern Louisiana 15 

Topographic subdivisions : 15 

Swamp-lake area _■ 15 

Eegion of prairies and low, rolling hills 16 

Hill lands 17 

Stratigraphy of southern Louisiana 17 

General considerations .. 17 

Tertiary 19 

Oligocene 19 

Miocene - 21 

Quaternary 21 

Subdivisions - 21 

Genesis of deposits 23 

Effect of the Mississippi on stratigraphy of southern Louisiana 26 

Subdivisions of southern Louisiana, based on underground water conditions. . 27 
Modification of kind and conditions of water brought about by local topog- 
raphy and stratigraphy 27 

Eemarks on special areas 29 

Well statistics ' 30 

Artesian wells in southern Mississippi, from Biloxi westward 30 

Harrison County . . .' 31 

Biloxi 31 

Ship Island 31 

Mississippi City 32 

Generalized section from Pass Christian to Biloxi 32 

Bay St. Louis 33 

Artesian and deep wells in Louisiana east of the Mississippi 33 

St. Tammany Parish 33 

Covington and vicinity 33 

Abita Springs 35 

Pearl Kiver Junction , 36 

Mandeville Junction 37 

Mandeville _ 37 

Chinchuba '. 38 

Tangipahoa Parish 38 

Singletry's still. 38 

Hammond 38 

Ponchatoula w 42 

3 



4 CONTENTS. 

Well statistics — Continued. Page. 
\rtesian and deep wells in Louisiana east of the Mississippi— Continued. 

Orleans Parish 43 

Deep salt-water wells 44 

Common ' ' yellow-water ' ' wells '..' 45 

The 400-foot sands 46 

Shallow wells 46 

Bonnabel well , 46 

St. John the Baptist Parish 47 

Ruddock 47 

East Baton Rouge Parish 48 

Baton Rouge and vicinity 48 

Baker 48 

Zachary 49 

West Feliciana Parish 49 

Bayou Sara 49 

Artesian and deep wells in Louisiana west of the Mississippi 49 

La Fourche Parish _ 49 

Thibodaux 49 

Assumption Parish 49 

Napoleonville .' 49 

St. James Parish 1 49 

St. Mary Parish , 50 

Morgan City 50 

Glencoe 50 

Iberia Parish 50 

Jeanerette and vicinity 50 

New Iberia 51 

St. Martin Parish -. 52 

St. Martinville and vicinity 52 

Breaux Bridge , 52 

Lafayette Parish 53 

Lafayette and vicinity 53 

St. Landry Parish 53 

Opelousas 53 

Washington 53 

West Baton Rouge Parish 54 

Baton Rouge Junction - . 54 

Lobdell 54 

Pointe Coupee Parish 54 

New Roads 54 

Batchelor 54 

Avoyelles Parish 54 

Bunkie 54 

Marksville 54 

Vermilion Parish 54 

Abbeville and vicinity 54 

Shell Beach 55 

Gueydan 55 

Acadia Parish - 55 

Rayne and vicinity 55 

Crowley and vicinity 55 

Midland 56 

Oriza and vicinity 56 



CONTENTS. 5 

Well statistics — Continued. Page. 
Artesian and deep wells in Louisiana west of the Mississippi — Continued. 

Calcasieu Parish 56 

Welsh and Adcinity 57 

Lake Arthur 58 

Jennings and vicinity 58 

- Kinder and vicinity 59 

China 59 

Oberlin 59 

Lake Charles 59 

West Lake .- 60 

Rapides Parish 60 

Blowing wells , 60 

Variation in flow and pressure head shown by wells in southern Louisiana 61 

Wells east of the Mississippi 61 

Wells west of the Mississippi 62 

Well drilling and pumping. 68 

Methods of drilling 68 

Jetting 68 

Eotary process 69 

Screens -. 71 

Pumping 72 

Water supplies from wells in southern Louisiana, by M. L. Fuller 74 

Increased use of underground water 74 

Town and domestic supplies 74 

Farm supplies : 80 

Railroad supplies 81 

Manufacturing supplies 81 

Rice irrigation in southern Louisiana, compiled by M. L. Fuller 82 

Development of rice irrigation 82 

Sources of water 83 

Bayous 83 

Wells 84 

Irrigation systems in operation 84 

Pumping 91 

Application of water 92 

Canals 92 

Field levees 92 

Methods of farming 93 

Index 95 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Page. 

Plate I. Topographic map of southern Louisiana 14 

II. Well sections from Alexandria to New Orleans 18 

III. A, Remnant of Grand Chenier Ridge at the ferry landing on Mer- 

mentau River; B, Location of springs among the live oaks on the 
border between the sea marsh and the south side of Grand Chenier 
Island, about 2 miles east of the village 22 

IV. A, North side of Grand Chenier Island; B, South shore of Lake 

Pontchartrain, 1 £ miles west of "West End 24 

V. A, Well in the barn lot of the Hernandez place, 2% miles north of 
Covington, La.; B, Well in Mr. Anderson's barnyard, three- 
fourths of a mile northwest of Hammond station, La . . ; • 34 

VI. A, Artesian well of Bradley and Ramsay Lumber Company, 1 mile 
north of Lake Charles, La.; B, Screen wound at the Moresi 

Brothers' shop, Jeanerette 58 

VII. A, May pumping plant, Welsh, La.; B, Pumping from a 12-inch well 

on the farm of A. E. Lee, 8 miles northwest of Crowley, La 70 

VIII. A characteristic bayou of the more sluggish type in the Gulf coastal 

region 76 

IX. A, Pumping station on one of the larger streams of the Gulf coastal 

region ; B, Discharge of a heavy pump system 82 

X. Pumping plant, Bayou des Cannes 84 

XL Canal and well systems in southwestern Louisiana 92 

Fig. 1. Map showing topographic subdivisions of southern Louisiana 15 

2. North-south section from the Kansas City Southern Railroad, in Texas, 

through Sabine Lake and southwest Cameron Parish, La 16 

3. North-south section from the Mississippi line through Covington and 

New Orleans and Baratara Bay to the Gulf 18 

4. North-south section starting 12 miles west of Alexandria, passing 

through Oakdale, Jennings, and Grand Lake to the Gulf 18 

5. Correlation of water-bearing sands north and south of Lake Pont- 

chartrain 19 

6. Sections across Grand Chenier Island 24 

7. Subdivisions of southern Louisiana in accordance with underground 

water conditions 28 

8. Relation of land surface to pressure head of artesian and deep-well 

waters approximately along parallel 30° 27' 29 

9. Relation of land surface to pressure head of artesian and deep-well 

i waters approximately along parallel 30° 12' 30 

10. Well-drilling outfit of Bacon and Gamble, sinking a well at Poncha- 

toula by the jetting process 69 

11. A common method of constructing a screen 72 

12. Common form of rotary pump; Van Wie model 72 

13. Cross section of rice canal 92 

14. Cross section of correct form of field levee 93 

15. Diagram showing depth of water used on rice field at Crowley and 

dates of irrigation 94 

7 



LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. 



Department of the Interior, . 
United States Geological Survey, 

Hydrographic Branch, 
Washington, D. C, December If., 1903. 
Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith a manuscript b}^ Prof. 
G. D. Harris on the "Underground Waters of Southern Louisiana," 
to which has been added short discussions of certain economic features, 
including the uses of underground waters for water supplies and for 
rice irrigation, by Mr. M. L. Fuller. The part b}^ Professor Harris 
is an elaboration of a portion of an earlier paper published in the 
reports of the geological survey of Louisiana, and by means of its 
descriptions and illustrations brings out clearly the nature of the 
occurrence and the importance of the underground water resources of 
the region considered. It is believed that the discussion of water sup- 
plies, by reiterating the importance of pure sources, will hasten their 
introduction. The irrigation of rice, though yet in its earlier stages, 
has already increased tenfold the value of land over large areas, and 
the publication of information which will in any way call attention to 
the importance of underground waters in its development will be of 
considerable value. I would recommend that the report be published 
in the series of Water-SuppLy and Irrigation Papers. 
Very respectfully, 

P. H. Newell, Chief Engineer. 
Hon. Charles D. Walcott, 

Director, United States Geological Survey. 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. 



By Gilbert D. Harris. 



PREFATORY REMARKS. 

In the writer's studies of the geology of southern Louisiana during 
the last three years, opportunities have presented themselves for col- 
lecting data relating to the underground waters of this section of the 
State. A brief summary of the data so collected was given in Part 
VI of the report of the State geological survey for the year 1902, in 
Special Report No. 6, "The Subterranean Waters of Louisiana." 
Since the publication of this work one winter season has been spent 
in southern Louisiana in general geological work, and one month 
(June 20 to July 20, 1903) has been devoted to field work bearing 
exclusively on water supplies. This report, therefore, may be con- 
sidered as an enlarged and revised edition of the special report named, 
based, in large measure, on facts gathered by the writer while he 
was employed by the State of Louisiana. After this explanation it 
seems scarcely necessary to use quotation marks or to give precise 
references in every case where facts have been taken from the earlier 
report. 

In many instances the height above tide (mean sea level) of stations 
along the Southern Pacific Railroad will be found to vary as much as 
8 feet in the two reports. This is due to the fact that early eleva- 
tions furnished by this road to the United States Geological Survey, 
and published in Bulletin 160, were different from those now posted on 
the stations along the line throughout southern Louisiana (see PI. I). 

11 



12 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OP SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. 



[NO. 101. 



ORIGIN OFAETESIANAND DEEP-WELL WATERS IN SOUTH- 
ERN LOUISIANA. 

PRECIPITATION. 

Last year's Weather Bureau report gives the following figures 
regarding precipitation at several stations in southern Louisiana: a 

Precipitation at stations in southern Louisiana. 



Station. 



Average. 



Alexandria . . 

Amite 

Cheney ville. 

Clinton 

Hammond . . . 

Lafayette 

Lake Charles 

Opelousas 

Sugartown . . . 



45.24 


55.95 


41.44 


60.41 


40.74 


53.18 


52.29 


55.01 


47.01 


58.13 


36.35 


53.48 


41.19 


54.94 


39.77 


54. 64 


48.12 


54.52 



From this it appears that the average annual precipitation in this 
part of the State is about 55 inches. This means that each acre of 
land receives more than double enough rain water to irrigate it prop- 
erly if planted in rice. But much of this water is lost, so far as agri- 
cultural purposes are concerned, by flowing away in surface streams 
to the Gulf. Much, too, that descends into the soil and lower strata 
of the earth, doubtless leaches out into the Gulf underground. Unfor- 
tunately for our present study, the main local streams of southern 
Louisiana have never been gaged, and consequently the amount of 
water that reaches the sea, even by surface streams, is not known. 
The extent, therefore, to which the total amount of rainfall may be 
utilized as deep-well water can not at present be even approximately 
estimated. That much rain water is absorbed and transported to dis- 
tant places through underground porous layers is evident from the 
existence of many satisfactory deep and artesian wells throughout the 
southernmost parishes of the State. Yet it is often held that the sup- 
ply of deep waters may be derived from large bodies of neighboring 
water — for example, from lakes and rivers and small streams that have 
a greater altitude than the surface of the water in the deep wells. 
This may, indeed, be the case in a region in which there are limestone 
formations, or in a region where the gradient of the streams is con- 
siderable and erosion is scouring and cleaning the sides and bottom of 
the channels and where practically no silt is being deposited, but in 



«U. S. Dept. Agr., Ann. Summary, 1902, Louisiana Section, Weather Bureau Office, New Orleans, La. 



hareis.] ORIGIN OF UNDERGROUND WATERS. 13 

Louisiana none of these conditions exist, so far as the larger streams 
and other large bodies of water are concerned. However, we will 
consider with all necessary detail two of the common theories advanced 
to account for the presence of water in such apparently immense 
quantities beneath the surface in southern Louisiana. 

GULF WATER AS A SOURCE OF SUPPLY OF DEEP WELLS. 

It is frequently asserted that the continuance of southerly winds or 
high tides causes an appreciable rise in the level of the water in wells 
not far from the coast; that when wells are vigorously pumped the 
water level descends below tide; that therefore there is an intimate 
connection between the waters of the Gulf and those encountered so 
abundantl} T in deep wells. 

That there is more or less connection between the fresh water under 
the ground and the salt water of the Gulf there can be no doubt. A 
variation in the height of the water in a few wells coincident with that 
in a neighboring body of water in which there is a perceptible tide 
was long ago recorded by members of the Louisiana State geological 
survey and others. That there is no underground current from the 
Gulf landward is evident from the facts (1) that when pumping ceases 
for a few hours the water level in the wells quickly rises above tide, 
and (2) that any water derived from the Gulf would possess a salti- 
ness that has not thus far been recorded in any deep irrigation well. 
Any impediment tending to retard the escape of the underground 
waters Gulf ward, as the weight of water collected from long-continued 
heavy showers or the backing up of the Gulf's waters from the south, 
will necessarily raise the level of the water in the deep wells or cause 
the artesian wells to flow more strongly. 

RIVER WATERS AS A SOURCE OF SUPPLY. 

In 1860 Raymond Thomassy* published his Geologie pratique de 
la Louisiane. He seems to have been greatly captivated with the 
idea that a large amount of the water flowing into the Mississippi from 
its various tributaries never reaches the Gulf by surface streams, but 
is absorbed by the pervious layers that form the banks and bottom of 
the river, and is carried thence through underground passages and 
porous layers to the Gulf coast, or beneath its waters. 

Thomassy was of course not aware of the great possibilities of irri- 
gation in southern Louisiana, but had he lived to see hundreds of 10 
or 12 inch wells yielding almost rivers of deep, cool water, he would 
doubtless have felt that his absorption theory was at last fully proved, 
else whence could all this underground water come? 

"Geologie pratique de la Louisiane, par R. Thomassy (accompagne de 6 planches), chez l'auteur, 
a la Nouvelle-Orleans et a Paris, 1860. 



14 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 

No definite statements can be made regarding the amount of water 
furnished by the rivers of Louisiana to the general underground sup- 
ply until the topography and stratigraphy have been determined in 
detail. Yet it may be shown^here that the oft- repeated popular state- 
ment that waters of the Mississippi Eiver supply the wells in south- 
ern Louisiana is but partly, if at all, correct. Certainly no "veritable 
river " is leaving the Mississippi in its lower reaches to force its way 
laterally for long distances underground. The process of transferring 
discharge measurements from one point on the river to another, as 
employed by Humphreys and Abbot a in their delta survey, has 
shown that the difference in discharge at two stations at equal stages 
in the river is due to increment of water from tributaries and loss in 
distributary bayous and crevasses between the two places. Daily dis- 
charge measurements made at Vicksburg were compared with dis- 
charge measurements made at stations up and down the river, and these 
agreed in a remarkable way. 

In other words, there is no difference in the amounts of discharge at 
Vicksburg and Carrollton, for example, that can not be explained by 
taking into account the difference between water received and that 
given up by surface channels. The absorption, therefore, of the Mis- 
sissippi's waters by underground porous layers is a subject that is of 
no importance in the present report. 

The impropriety of assuming that variations in "head" noticed in 
deep wells located at any considerable distance from, the Mississippi 
are due to difference in the stage or height of the river, is evident from 
facts presented farther on in this, report. It is fortunate that the 
measurements of well stages here recorded were made mostty in the 
spring of 1901, especially in April and May. The wells showed a 
slight temporary rise about April 22, due to local showers, but there- 
after the usual marked decline for the summer went steadily on. Not 
so the river; it gradually rose till it reached the highest point of the 
season on the dates which follow, at the localities designated: 6 May 
16, Vicksburg, Miss. ; May 15-16, St. Joseph, La. ; May 16-17, Natchez; 
May 17, Red River Landing; May 17, Bayou Sara; May 17, Baton 
Rouge; May 16, Plaquemine; May 19, Donaldson ville; May 15, Col- 
lege Point; May 17 and 20, Carrollton. After these dates, at the sta- 
tions named, the river began to decline. 

The cross sections presented in figs. 8 and 9 (pp. 29, 30) show 
clearly the behavior of deep waters in the vicinity of large stream 
channels. There is therefore reason to suppose that the Mississippi 
and other large streams serve as drains on the underground-water 
supply rather than as feeders. 

a Report upon the physics and hydraulics of the Mississippi River; upon the protection of the 
alluvial region from overflow, etc.: Professional Paper No. 13, Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army, 1861. 
See reprint of 1876, pp.280, 358-363. 

& Stages of the Mississippi, etc.: Miss. Riv. Coram., 1901, St. Louis, Mo., Mississippi River Com- 
mission Print, 1902. 



,. ^ r.rmnnir.AL SURVEY 



— PA R _NO. I Qi PL , 




Compiled from maps of the U.S Land Office. U.S Engineers Report 

J S Coast and Geodetic Survey.Railroad profiles 

State Geological Surve* of Lomsiana.and US. Geological Survey 



MAP OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA SHOWING TOPOGRAPHIC FEATURES AND IMPORTANT WELLS 



t,\f 



DERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. 



15 



TOPOGRAPHY OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. 

Since the cause of flow of underground waters must be due mainly 
to the action of gravity, it follows that the surface features of the land 
have a marked influence on the rate of underground as well as of over- 
ground flow. Southern Louisiana has only just begun to cooperate 
with the General Government in the construction of detailed topo- 
graph maps, so it is not possible to show the surface features as well 
as could be desired; yet private individuals, corporations (such as 
railroad and canal companies), United States engineers, and members 
of the State geological survey have done a large amount of spirit 
leveling throughout the area, and from such data it has been found 







Fig. 1. — Map showing topographic subdivisions of southern Louisiana. 

possible to compile a small-scale contour map (PL I) and a still smaller 
index map (fig. 1) to the topography of this part of the State. 

TOPOGRAPHIC SUBDIVISIONS. 



SWAMP-LAKE AREA. 

To this subdivision may be assigned in general that portion of the 
State having an elevation above tide of less than 20 feet (see fig. 1). 
Its size is surprisingly great when compared with that of the more 
elevated areas. PL I represents an area in Louisiana, exclusive of 
large lakes, bays, etc., covering 28,900 square miles, of which 15,800 
are below the 20-foot contour. The Five Islands in Iberia and St. 
Mary parishes are the only areas furnishing what might be called 
notable relief in this subdivision of southern Louisiana. One ' ' island " 
rises to a height of 150 feet above the surrounding marsh land; others 
are but. two-thirds or half as high. Since, however, the diameter of 
the largest is only approximately 2 miles, their total area is extremely 
insignificant when compared with the vast extent of low land shown 



16 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 

on the map. Southern Cameron and Vermilion parishes contain exten- 
sive swamp tracts that lie several miles back from the Gulf border, but 
close to the Gulf there are several remarkably persistent 

j, dry, sandy ridges that rise from 5 to 10 feet above mean 
tide (see PL 1). In the swampy areas there are several 

; broad and very shallow lakes or bays, as may be seen by 
consulting the same plate. They rarely show a depth of 

I more than 15 or 20 feet, usually much less. The bayous 
and rivers, however, have cut very deep channels through 
these lowlands. Depths of 30 to 10 feet are by no means 
p J unusual, while the Mississippi has long stretches of chan- 
nel that range in depth from 72 to 90 feet, and occasional 

i pools 200 feet deep. The manner in which the ground 
slopes above and below Gulf level, the basin-like charac- 

\ ter of the lakes, and the deepness of the river channels 

i are typically shown in fig. 2. 

The topography of the region lying between Lake Pont- 
chartrain and the Atchafalaya River — the so-called delta 

s I ' region of the Mississippi — deserves a few additional re- 

1 « marks. 

s $ ■ Large areas in this tract are scarcely above sea level. 

I 7 The figures shown on PI. I, along the Southern Pacific 

~- g Railroad from New Orleans to Morgan City, indicate feet 

\ | above tide. Here, as in all mature river flood plains, 

" I there is a tendency to deposit sediment along the imme- 

I g diate banks of the streams so as to form low, natural 
t 1 levees. This feature is indicated to some extent by the 
i » figures just referred to, but in the lower delta region it 
- 1 is clearly seen along the sea-level line. Nearly all the 

I I streams are leveed, as it were, out into the Gulf, espe- 
= cially the Mississippi. 

i The large quantities of water that have passed over this 

l delta region in comparatively recent geologic times have 

I kept its surface from rising above sea level at the same 

rate as did adjoining portions of the State lying north, 
B east, and west. The result is that this region has been 
I eroded by waters coming from nearly all the middle 

Western States, whereas the adjoining tracts have been 
1 worn down only by the results of the precipitation upon 

their own area. Now, river action is gradually building 

up this delta region, whereas to the east and west the land 
vj | surface is being gradually degraded. 

!g ^ REGION OF PRAIRIES AND LOW, ROLLING HILLS. 

Sj i There is naturally no sharp line of demarcation between 

this topographic division and the one just described. The 

swamp and lake regions gradually become drier to the north, and the 

former Gulf, lake, or swamp bottoms assume the role of "crawfish 5 * 



HARRis.l TOPOGEAPHY OF SOUTHEEN LOUISIANA. 17 

prairies. This is specially true of the low plains west of the Atchafa- 
la3 T a. In general, this region may be approximately denned as extend- 
ing- from the 20-foot to the 100-foot contour line. For a stretch of about 
40 miles in width west of the Mississippi the general appearance of this 
region is somewhat changed by the erosion and the alluvial deposits 
of this great stream and its tributaries or distributaries. East of 
the Mississippi, however, the prairies again appear here and there, 
though the forests often descend to the very edge of the swamp lands. 
As the 100-foot contour is approached, the land becomes dissected b}^ 
numerous small streams, and when cleared of its forest growth pre- 
sents a decidedly rolling surface. East of the Mississippi the plains 
lying near the level of the 20-foot contour are still in places thickly 
studcd with graceful, palm-like "long-leaf " pines. Their years are 
numbered, though, as the many huge sawmill plants in their midst 
will attest. 

The soil of the region or zone that lies nearly at the level of the 20- 
foot contour is decidedly clayey and "tight-bottomed," a feature of 
great economic importance to the rice planter. Farther up, toward 
the 100-foot contour, the soil is more sandy and is, therefore, more 
pervious to surface waters. This, too, as we shall see later on, is an 
extremely fortunate circumstance so far as the supply of underground 
water farther south is concerned. 

HILL, LANDS. 

As the low lake and swamp lands pass gradual^ into the prairies, so 
the upper undulating prairie and timber lands pass gradually into the 
more abrupt dissected area. The chief difference to be noted is that 
in this last subdivision the streams are so numerous and their vallej^s 
so deep that there is little left of the old sea-bottom plain out of which 
this rugged topography was carved. As the surface of the land in 
this area rises from 100 feet to over 100 in a distance usually less than 
from the sea margin to the 20-foot contour, it is no wonder that the 
effects of erosion are well marked. Here the soil is still more gravelty 
or sandy than in the belt below the 100-foot contour. This fact, too, 
has much to do with the rapid erosion that is apparent on every hand. 
A small exception to the general appearance of these "long-leaf pine 
hill lands" is to be seen in the calcareous prairies (Anacacho) near 
Leesville, Vernon Parish. 

STRATIGRAPHY OF SOUTHERN JLOUISIANA. 

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 

So far as underground waters are concerned the stratigraphy of 
southern Louisiana is very simple, for nearly all of the wells dis- 
cussed in this report are in very young or Quaternary deposits. 
irk 101—04 2 



18 



UNDERGROUND WATEKS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 



Here and there, to be sure, peaks and uplifts of the older beds 

approach the surface, or even protrude above the general level of the 

land, but such uplifts are generally of ex- 

tremel} 7 local nature. The Five Islands, 

for example, stretch along the coast for a 

distance of over 35 miles, but the greatest 

diameter of the largest one is only 2 miles. Grand chenier 



Mississippi River 
New Orleans 



Covington 



*o 



2,000 feet. 



Jennings 



Oakdale 



Alexandria ' ! 



& 



2,500 feet. 



Again, these Five Islands are separated by a stretch of 25 miles from 
the truncated cone at Anse la Butte, or by 75 or 80 miles from simi- 



U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

Alexandria Marksville 



St.Mart'in'viTle 


















^FZ=^ 












l 




S^^ = 








==== 










504 


us 


649 


mn= 





o 



Soil and clay 
Rook 



20 



Blue olay 

\ 
\ 

\ 220 
Blue joint clay \ 

300 
348 
Clay, uarious 

Green clay 
Sandstone 

Clay 
Blue clay 



Soft sandstone XI 
Clay h- 

Sandstone ' 

Sandstone 

Sand s 



Yellow sand 



Grauel with 
olaystone 



White, water- 



Red tenacious 
\ olay 



Clay appearing 
lignitio 



\ 

Sand with 10" 
layer of lignitio 

Bluish lignitic\ 

clay \ 83B 

\ 
\ 
\ 
\ 

\ 



Clay and soil 
fine sand 
Blue clay 



Water-bearing ~~~r~ 
sand and gravel 



Napo 



Clay 



Grauel in 

tenacious clay B10 






Tenacious clay 
and grauel 



Coarse sand 
and grauel 



Soft n 
Coarse 



1090 
1145 
J 190 



Pyrite boulder 



Rock i 
Sand 
Blue tt 
Sand i 
Oil sa 



••Sulp 



WELL SECTIONS FROM 



Fabacher's well 



Blue clay 

White sand 
withshells 



Gray sand 

Reddish sand 
Gray sand 

Slue clay 
with pockets 
of shells 



Hard white and 580 
blue clay _^.-^""~ 



Blue water- 
bearing sand 



Blue tenacious clay 



White sand 

Blue clay 
Fine shells 
Gray water-sand 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 101 PL. II 
Gymnasium well 

Gulf level 



New Orleans 

Canal street 

well 



Clay 
Sand 

Clay, various 



Sand, water-bearing 

Lignitic sand 

Clay 
Sand 



o> 



Sand with 
shells 



<y 



Blue tenacious clay 



EXANDRIA TO NEW ORLEANS. 



HARRIS.] 



STRATIGRAPHY OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. 



19 



lar structures at Sulphur and Vinton. The Cretaceous limestone of 
Bayou Chicot is 60 miles north of the northernmost island. There 
are doubtless other and undiscovered irregularities in the underlying 
rocks in southern Louisiana, but the}*" are so evenly blanketed over 
by Quaternary clays and sands that there is no evidence of their 
existence. 

The two cross sections herewith given show the general stratigraphy 
of the water-bearing sands in southern Louisiana (see figs. 3 and 4). 
Other sections can be constructed by placing in juxtaposition well sec- 
tions that have been taken along some one general trend. On PI. II is 
shown the stratigraphic relation of the beds encountered in well sec- 



ts o 

£ .s 



§ z a 

'5 is ; 



P o 

Ph JPon fc7ic. rira ins B 



ct/^f ievcl 



ioo feet 

200 
300 
400 
500 
600 



Fig. 5. — Correlation of water-bearing sands north and south of Lake Pontchartrain. 

tions at Alexandria, Marksville, St. Martinville, Napoleonville, and 
New Orleans. Fig. 5 is a similar section, extending from a point 9 
miles northwest of Covington to New Orleans. 

TERTIARY. 
OLIGOCENE. 



In considering the Quaternary sands of this region, it seems proper 
to take some notice of the beds upon which the}^ lie. Again, if the 
country around Alexandria, for example, be included in the region 
here called southern Louisiana, this discussion should embrace a con- 
sideration of the outcrops of Tertiary (Oligocene) rocks in that neigh- 
borhood, which are of considerable importance in connection with the 
supply of underground potable waters of the State. The well of the 
Alexandria Ice and Storage Company, recently put down, will give a 
fair idea of the character of the Oligocene (Grand Gulf) material in 
this part of the State. Its section is as follows: 



20 UNDERGROUND WATERS OE SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 

Section of well of Alexandria Ice and Storage Company, Alexandria, La. 



Surface ground clay 

Sand 

Clay 

Rock 

Blue clay 

Hard rock 

Blue clay 

Rock 

Blue joint clay 

Limestone 

Clay 

Hardpan 

Hard limestone 

Green clay 

Hard rock 

Blue clay 

Sandstone 

Clay 

Sand 

Rock 

Clay 

Sand 

Clay 

Sand 

Blue clay 

Sand : 

Clay 

Sand 

Blue clay 

Soft sandstone 

Clay 

Sand 

Soft sandstone 

Clay 

Sandstone 

Sand 



Thickness 
in feet. 



21 

2 
15 
27 
88 

2 
20 

8 
145 

3 
43 
90 

2.5 
12 

1.5 
10 
14 
30 

3 

2 
10 

1 

8 

2 
89 
16 
28 
10 
24 
53 
24 

5 
42 

2 
44 
30 



Depth in 

feet. 



This well is provided with a 70-foot strainer, and before it was 
cleaned had a flow of 125 gallons a minute, according to the report of 
a local paper. 



Harris.] STRATIGRAPHY OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. 21 

The somewhat misleading- information received at Alexandria two 
years ago regarding the material passed through in sinking the water- 
works well would have inclined one to place the water-bearing sands 
here at a horizon that is manifestly far too low. The great thickness 
of the Grand Gulf beds here is surprising, but the description of the 
material penetrated certainly places it in this division of the Tertiary. 

The several fine flowing wells at Boyce are evidently mainly if not 
wholly in this horizon, though perhaps the one 810 feet deep, which 
yields gas with the water, may have a somewhat lower origin than the 
shallower ones. 

Similar water-bearing Grand Gulf sands on the Ouachita River near 
Catahoula Shoals have already been described/' 

It is doubtful whether these beds have ever been encountered in 
drilling for water or oil farther south in Louisiana, except perhaps 
around some of the local upheavals or buried cones already referred 
to. The most probable exception is the Spring Hill oil well, not far 
east of Kinder, where, at a reported depth of 1,500 feet (probably 
about 1,200), the writer observed that the drill was passing through 
sharp quartz sand, mixed with flakes of green clay. It was reported 
that a soft sandstone, about 1-1 feet thick, was penetrated by the drill 
just before the writer's visit. 

MIOCENE. 

There is little if anything in the stratigraphy of these rocks that 
concerns us here. Their position must be such (see figs. 3 and 4) that 
their water supply would be very uncertain, both as to quantity and 
quality. The}^ probably contain salt water, and this has been found 
in them by many of the oil-well drillers. From samples of well bor- 
ings already studied, it seems probable that where there are no local 
disturbances these beds in southern Louisiana, say along the thirtieth 
parallel, scarcely ever rise above a plane that lies 2,000 feet below sea 
level. 

QUATERNARY. 
SUBDIVISIONS. 

The longer the geology of southern Louisiana is studied the more 
futile appears the attempt to make satisfactory subdivisions in the 
Quaternaiy deposits — subdivisions that have any definite time or 
structural limits. Differences in conditions of deposition during the 
same period of time have produced results that vary greatly in differ- 
ent localities. The same differences in conditions of deposition that 
we see to-day at different places in southern Louisiana, producing the 
sea-marsh clays with vegetable and brackish-water organic inclusions, 

"Report Geol. Survey Louisiana for 1902, p. 214. 



22 UNDERGROUND W'ATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 

the yellow .sand ridges with an abundance of purely marine life, tne 
purely fresh-water alluvium, and the alluvium intermingled with marine 
sands at the mouths of the larger rivers, all seem to have existed 
throughout Quaternary 7 times. The mistake that has been made in 
assigning to the " Port Hudson group" a special place in geologic 
time ma} 7 well be illustrated b} 7 the case of the casual theater-goer who 
drops in on a play on the last evening of the season and observes with 
care and interest the persona?, costumes, etc., throughout the different 
acts and scenes of the performance and afterwards records the fact 
that this particular play was given at this place at this particular time. 
The inveterate theater-goer, on the other hand, majr see nothing 
of special interest in these facts, for he maj know that that plaj^ had 
been running at that place not only that particular night but during 
the whole season. The swamp condition of the "Port Hudson" has 
been truly reproduced, with its clays, "black muck," and logs, to a 
depth of over 800 feet in the wells of southwestern Louisiana; the 
estuarian chvy condition (Pontchartrain cla}^) is accurately reproduced 
at depths of 80, 500, 1,200, and is best of all at 1,800 feet beneath the 
surface; the marine sands may be found at various depths. Thick 
beds of so-called Lafayette gravel are often interspersed with these 
"Port Hudson" elements. 

It seems, therefore, that if there is anything to be gained Iry appty- 
ing a name to clays that were evidently deposited in brackish-water 
bays, estuaries, and lakes along the Gulf border, some such term as 
" Pontchartrain clays" ma} T be used, with the understanding, however, 
that the name shall denote a particular kind of deposit or phase of 
deposition having no special time value. So, too, the deposits, mainly 
alluvial, containing a large amount of vegetable matter, especial^ 
stumps and trunks of trees, ma} r , if necessar} 7 , be classed as Port Hudson 
cla}^s; and marine sands ma} T be referred to as Biloxi sands; but in all 
cases the terms must be understood as denoting mere phases of depo- 
sition, not stratigraphic units. 

But the names that may be applied to the different portions of the 
Quaternary deposits of this State are of little importance so far as the 
present work is concerned. The important facts are these: Pervious 
material, such as sand (coarse and tine) and gravel, alternate with im- 
pervious clay beds of various thicknesses throughout the Quaternary 
deposits of southern Louisiana; these beds vary greatly as regards 
inclosed organic remains and products of decomposition and in differ- 
ent localities are inclined at different angles, the "dip" being, roughly 
speaking, in the same general direction as the slope of the surface 
of the land, though somewhat greater in amount; the character of the 
water is greatly modified by the medium through which it passes; the 
position or state of the water, i. e. , whether "deep well" or artesian, " 
is dependent largel} 7 on local topography. 



U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 101 PL. Ill 




A. REMNANT OF GRAND CHENIER RIDGE AT THE FERRY LANDING ON 
MERMENTAU RIVER. 




B. LOCATION OF SPRINGS AMONG THE LIVE OAKS ON THE BORDER BETWEEN 
THE SEA MARSH AND THE SOUTH SIDE OF GRAND CHENIER ISLAND 
ABOUT 2 MILES EAST OF THE VILLAGE. 



iiarkis.] STRATIGRAPHY OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. 23 

In the generalized sections here given, running north and south 
across this portion of the State (see tigs. 3 and 4), no attempt has been 
made to show the many and various clay, sand, and gravel beds that 
form the Quaternary series of this region. The fact has been indi- 
cated, however, that generally, where the land is flat and erosion has 
been slight, the latest (uppermost) layers consist of fine sand and clays. 

GENESIS OF DEPOSITS. 

The statistics upon which the above-mentioned general statements 
are based are mainly of two kinds — first, well sections and the fossils 
and rock material accompanying them, and second, facts noted in a 
somewhat detailed study of present areas of deposition along the 
southern border of the State. Well statistics will form an important 
section of this report. Their interpretation, however, depends on an 
accurate knowledge of present conditions of sedimentation. The 
following remarks and illustrations will therefore serve to throw light 
on the general statements alread}^ made and give a meaning to the 
detailed well records which follow. 

The shore line of southern Louisiana is generally sandy, and there 
are often sand and shell ridges extending for miles parallel to the 
shore, either in close proximity to the Gulf or some distance inland. 
Those more distant from the present southern border of the land often 
show axial directions not in accord with those nearer the Gulf, as may 
be seen by observing the direction of the ridges toward the eastern 
portion of Pecan "Island." These peculiar forms are not due to any 
considerable extent to erosion. Ridges of the same character are now 
being formed along the Gulf border, just above and just below mean 
tide. Off Cameron and Mud lakes, for example, one can see how, 
during storms, the waves have beaten up the sand and shells in ridges 
rising in some places to a height of 10 feet above mean tide. Out in 
the Gulf some distance from the land the same force is at work making 
the Sabine Shoals (see PI. I.) The curve of Point au Fer, off Atchafa- 
laj^a Bay, gives a strong hint as to the formation of ridges with a 
trend somewhat at variance to the general direction of the shore line. 
Isle Derniere, Timbalier, Ship, and Cat islands, and the Chandeleurs 
will probably become inland ridges like Pecan and Grand Chenier, in 
southwest Louisiana, or like the less elevated and less conspicuous 
shell ridge encountered in sinking the foundation for pumping station 
No. 7 for the drainage of New Orleans. 

The dimensions and general character of these ridges are well shown 
by tig. GA. PI. Ill, A, taken from the Louisiana report of 1902 
(op. cit., PI. IX), shows Mermentau River flowing in a westerly direc- 
tion for some distance before it finally breaks through the ridge on its 
way to the Gulf. To the right the sea marsh stretches away to the 



24 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 

east and south, with its waters practically at Gulf level. At the border 
of the Gulf, another though less important ridge is being formed 
at the present day. This statement, however, is not meant to imply 
that the large ridge shown in PL III, A, is of any other than late 
Pleistocene origin. In fact, the white objects shown in the foreground 
of the view are remains of large molluscan species similar to those 
now living in the Gulf and along the Atlantic coast. Notice should 
be taken of the fact, however, that these shells are all of marine origin. 
The few Rangia mixed with them show considerable river and wave 
erosion, and have evidently been washed into this marine assemblage 
by Gulfward flowing streams. 



2/fer7n-eTi.tau, 

Hive r 

^ / 



-GULF LEVEL 



-GULF LEVEL 



Fig. G. — Sections across Grand Chenier Island; A, 3 miles west of village; B, one-half mile west of 

village. 

The sands and shells forming these ridges absorb enough rain water 
to furnish a continuous supply to many springs that flow out at sea 
level on either flank. PL III, B, shows the location of such springs 
along the line of and between the great live oaks that have given the 
name of Chenier to this island. 

The abrupt transition from the firmer ridge material to the softer 
marsh ground to the south is well shown by the fact that the aged 
oaks nearly always incline toward and finally fall into the marsh (to the 
left in the plate). In drilling for water similar abrupt changes are 
often met with in wells but a short distance apart. 

On the north or opposite side of the ridge, scarcely three-fourths of 
a mile away, the character of the vegetation and deposition is very 
different (see PL IV, ^4). The marshy land is less even or is slightly 
undulating, showing accordingly all stages of transition from moist to 
wet lands through occasional^ inundated swamps to areas nearly al wa} r s 
beneath the Avater. These areas are receiving sediment from the flood 
stages of the baj^ous and hence are gradually filling in and presumably 
rising, irrespective of any uplifting movement that may be affecting 
the coast as a whole. 

Such areas explain the wa}^ that the deposits encountered in the 
various wells to the north were formed. The occurrence of decayed 



U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 101 PL. IV 




A. NORTH SIDE OF GRAND CHENIER ISLAND. 
The Mermentau River in the background to the right, near the trees. 




B. SOUTH SHORE OF LAKE PORTCH ARTRA I N , 1£ MILES WEST OF WEST END. 
Black clay soil with occasional heaps of white weathered Ranijhl shells. 



haekis.] STRATIGRAPHY OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. 25 

leaves, wood, fresh-water and land shells, together with fragments of 
marine shells in many borings, thus receives a natural explanation. 

Equally interesting and important in the formation of this portion 
of the State are the shallow lakes, reference to which has been made 
in discussing fig. 2, such as Sabine, Calcasieu, Grand, White, Maure- 
pas, Pontchartrain, and Borgne lakes, as well as the bodies of water 
called bays simply because they are not so complete^ surrounded by 
land. Of these bays Vermilion, Cote Blanche, Atchafalaya, Caillou, 
Terrebonne, Timbalier, as well as the still more open Chandeleur and 
Mississippi sounds, are good examples. In these there is a complete 
series of beds showing transition from purely marine to brackish or 
even fresh water. The fulgurs, naticas, areas, oysters, tellinas, and 
mactras in the open sounds give place in the more inclosed bays to 
oysters, mactras, and rangias, while in the still more inland lakes the 
rangias lose their fellowship with the salt-water forms and live in com- 
fort and harmony with the purely fresh-water unios. This condition 
may be seen in Lake Charles, a small swelling in Calcasieu River about 
60 miles from the coast. 

Marks of wave action and heaps of brackish-water Rangia shells ma}' 
be seen along the low shore of Lake Pontchartrain, shown in PI. IV, 
B. The characteristics of this vast expanse of shallow brackish water 
deserve more than passing notice by one who would understand the 
general geological history of southern Louisiana. It would scarcely 
be an exaggeration to assert that during some period of Pleistocene 
time practically all of the land area of this part of the State passed 
through a Pontchartrain stage. By this it is not meant that the 
whole of this area was one great brackish, inland lake at the same 
time; far from it. There are now in this region open sounds, more 
inclosed bays, still more landlocked lakes, growing smaller, usually, 
the farther inland the body of water lies. North of Lake Charles 
there is an extensive swamp area that has the appearance of being an 
old lake bed from which the waters are nearly drained off. Little 
Lake Charles is a remnant of a corner of this former extensive body 
of water. Still farther up are The Bays, low, flat, level, hard, wet- 
bottomed areas, embracing several thousand acres of land. The water 
and oil wells that have been drilled during recent years in southern 
Louisiana seldom fail to encounter masses of Rangia shells at some 
depth. Water wells, at Jennings for example, sometimes pass through 
a bed of such shells 10 feet thick, lying at depths ranging from 50 to 
100 feet below the surface.. On the shores of Lake Charles, Lake 
Arthur, Grand Lake, Berwick Bay, Lake Pontchartrain, and else- 
where in countless localities the same recent Rangia can be seen 
heaped up in ridges. At Jennings again similar Pontchartrain clays, 
with the same Rangia, are generally encountered just above the oil in 
wells, at a depth of about 1,800 feet. 



26 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no.101. 

EFFECT OF THE MISSISSIPPI ON STRATIGRAPHY OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. 

The Quaternary material of Louisiana was evidently brought to its 
present place by Mississippi River and other smaller streams empty- 
ing into the Gulf, as it then was, throughout a stretch of perhaps 250 
miles. In Tertiary as well as Quaternary times the Mississippi has 
had a marked influence on the character of deposition and the char- 
acter of life to be found in this section. In several stages of the 
Eocene the deposits along the Mississippi axis are decidedly lignitic; 
farther to the east and west they are more marine. Certain stages 
in the Oligocene show similar conditions and differences. It must 
not surprise us, then, to find that the greater part of the Quaternaiy 
deposits of southern Louisiana are composed of beds that bespeak 
clearly the proximity of brackish or fresh water or land conditions. 
We attribute the presence of tenacious clays in the wells of southern 
Louisiana, to a depth of 1,800 feet in places, indirectly to the rapid 
filling in of the Gulf border by the Mississippi sedimentation. In 
some places there has been a continual loading and consequent depres- 
sion of the Gulf's border; this has given rise to uplifts in regions not 
far distant. The shifting of the mouth of the river and the conse- 
quent change of loading point has caused a shifting of regions of 
depression and upheaval. If the region of uplift is some distance 
from the coast, then shallow sounds, bays, or lakes result, according 
to the extent of the uplifting. These, when finally filled with Pont- 
chartrain clays derived from the sediment of inflowing rivers, pass 
through the sea-marsh stage into "crawfish" prairies, when the region 
in which they occur has been elevated a few feet. 

Wave action, to be sure, performs a significant part in the forma- 
tion of certain ridges that will eventually act as temporary borders to 
these landlocked bodies of water; but, after all, it is mainly the action 
of the Mississippi that causes the many changes of level that are so 
well recorded in the Quaternary deposits throughout south Louisiana. 

In the immediate vicinity of the present course of the larger rivers, 
especial ly the Mississippi, Biloxi conditions can scarcely be expected 
to prevail. Here and there will be ridges of sand containing a purely 
marine fauna, but they will be notably local. Perhaps no better 
example of such a marine oasis in beds generally of a somewhat brack- 
ish water origin can be referred to than the sands containing beautifully 
preserved seashells at pumping station No. 7 of the New Orleans 
Drainage Works. This is evidently one of those ridges caused b} 7 
wave action and slight upheaval that have served to cut off portions 
of the Gulf in the manner described above. The mouth of the Mis- 
sissippi was at that time doubtless as far up as Bayou Sara, and its 
waters would not materially modify the life at a point then so far out 
at sea. So, too, at Napoleonville, the fauna at a depth of 2,100 feet 



hareis.] UNDERGROUND WATER SUBDIVISIONS OF LOUISIANA. 27 

seems purely marine. When this fauna lived doubtless the mouth of 
the Mississippi was as far north as the point named above, hence 
no great modification was brought about b} T the fresh waters of that 
great stream. Later, however, the fauna became brackish, with a pre- 
ponderance of Rangia at 1,200 feet, and the drillers brought out a 
large tooth, equine in appearance, from a depth of 800 feet. Large 
quantities of Rangia have been found in a well near Morgan City at a 
depth of about 500 feet, and specimens of the same species were 
obtained at 400 feet at the Istrouma Hotel well at Baton Rouge. 

SUBDIVISIONS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA, BASED ON 
UNDERGROUND WATER CONDITIONS. 

MODIFICATION OF KIND AND CONDITIONS OF WATER BROUGHT 
ABOUT BY LOCAL TOPOGRAPHY AND STRATIGRAPHY. 

For a somewhat detailed exposition of the topographic features of 
the southern part of Louisiana the reader is referred to the map here- 
with published as PI. I, but a clearer and more general idea of the 
subject can be obtained more quickly b} r referring to fig. 1. Topog- 
raplry alone may have little bearing on the subject of underground 
water supplies, but when considered in connection with stratigraphy 
its significance may be great. Where the different formations or beds 
slope coastwise at an angle slightly greater than that of the surface of 
the land, where there are more or less extended beds of pervious 
material alternating with impervious, and where there is an abundant 
rainfall back in the countiy the conditions are favorable for an under- 
ground supply of water. The pressure head of this supply will 
depend largely upon the topography and stratigraphy, while the kind 
of water will depend upon the kinds of rock the water has to penetrate 
and the length of time consumed in its penetration. Kind of water is, 
therefore, indirectly more or less influenced by topography and stratig- 
raphy. As a result of all these influences underground water occurs 
in southern Louisiana approximately as indicated by the accompany- 
ing fig. 7. 

The influence of topography on pressure head will be evident to an} T - 
one who will stud}^ the outline cross section given in fig. 8 in connec- 
tion with the topographic map, PI. I. The section extends from Pearl 
River to Oberlin, passing through Covington, Hammond, Baton 
Rouge, Opelousas, and the country lying westward, to Oberlin. The 
situation at Opelousas is interesting. Here the surface of the ground 
is 67 feet above the Gulf level, but water rises only 22 feet above 
that level. A glance at the topographic map will show the cause of 
this low pressure head. Northward, in the direction of the uprising 
strata or bedding planes, there is no higher ground than at Opelousas. 
The water there present must work sidewise along the pervious strata 



28 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 



from the somewhat distant hill land tying west and northwest. East 
of the Mississippi the conditions are different, for only a few miles 




east of Baton Rouge the pressure head is considerably above the sur- 
face of the ground, the hill land to the north being close by. The 



Harris.] UNDERGROUND WATER SUBDIVISIONS IN LOUISIANA. 



29 



Doubtless, too, 



Opelousas 



marked decrease in pressure head shown at Baton Rouge is evidently 
due to the nearness of the Mississippi River Valley 
this same valley has something to do with the 
low stand of the water at Opelousas. 

Lesser depressions than the Mississippi Val- 
ley have their influence on the head of subter- 
ranean waters, as may be seen by the section 

along the line of the Southern Pacific Railroad g ' 

from Lafayette west, shown in fig. 9. Mer- ? 

mentau River, with its tributaries, has degraded g 

this central portion of southwest Louisiana, and | 

the pressure head of the deep-well waters re- » 

sponds to this topographic feature. Calcasieu ^ 

River seems to have the opposite effect on the & 

pressure head about Lake Charles. Here, how- a 

ever, we are dealing with a region that is im- 8 

mediately south of some of the highest land in ° 

the State, and it is doubtless this condition that % 

counteracts any reverse influence the Calcasieu 3 

Valley might possess. % 

East of the Mississippi, in the neighborhood 

of New Orleans, the low pressure shown by the g 

various water-bearing layers penetrated in wells | 

less than 1,300 feet deep is probably due to the ^ 

wide, low stretch just to the north — i. e., the & 

Lake Pontchartrain depression. On Ship Is- 8 

land good water flows freely, and with much % 

more force than is exhibited b}^ the New Or- ^ 

leans wells. The narrowness of Mississippi | 

Sound, as compared to Lake Pontchartrain, % 

offers a ready explanation of this fact. g 

REMARKS ON SPECIAL AREAS. g 

, On the small map (fig. 7) there is indicated % 

a small artesian area about Alexandria. The § 

extent of this area must of necessity be very « 

limited, for the Grand Gulf formation usually % 

dips rapidly Gulf ward, so that the water- „ 

bearing strata would soon be below practicable 10 
depths so far as ordinary water supply and irri- 
gation are concerned (see stratigraphy indi- 
cated by fig. 4). 

To what extent water would flow close to the 
Gulf border from Sabine River to Atchafalaya 
Bay can scarcely be conjectured, though from the fact that in the 
neighborhood of Lake Charles, Gueydan, and places farther east 



Baton Rouge 



! Covington 



I Pearl River 



30 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 

fairly good water does flow from wells not over 200 feet deep, one 
may expect to find some kind of artesian water all along the coast in 
the region mentioned. a 

North of the artesian area lying north of Lake Pontchartrain a belt 
of country has been marked on fig. 7 as a probable deep-well area. 
As water in this region will flow readity from wells situated at eleva- 
tions between sea level and the 50-foot contour, or even above the 
latter in some instances, there seems to be no reason why it will not 
rise to the surface or to points between the surface and 50 feet below 
the surface at localities situated at elevations lying between the 50- 
and 100-foot contours. 



PRESSURE HPAH..? ■ >* _______ _ ^ ^_ J_— ^======_n=S*___T ■ , EVEU 

LAND *imFAf.F. — _^- ' ^-=-=— r~^ ^ - ____ ___=_J_ GULF LEVEL 

Fig. 9. — Relation of land surface to pressure head of artesian and* deep-well waters approxi- 
mately along parallel 30° 12'. 

Mammoth Spring, near Franklington, Washington Parish, would 
lead one to suppose that deep wells may eventually prove successful 
in some parts of these northern parishes where on the small map (fig. 7) 
no sign of the fact is indicated. 

So far as the other areas are concerned, little need be said. The 
deep-well area in southwest Louisiana is well understood. Sand and 
gravel beds that seem saturated with water are encountered at various 
depths, ranging from 150 to 500 feet. Near the coast the water over- 
flows; farther northward as a rule it stands lower and lower below 
the surface, so that north of Oberlin the expense of lifting water to 
the surface would more than equal the profits of irrigated crops. The 
map (fig. 7) does not indicate that no deep-well water can be found 
in much of the northern region. It implies rather that such waters 
would generally stand say 30 or more feet beneath the surface of 
the soil; and hence their value for irrigation and general purposes 
would be materiall} 7 lessened, owing to the increased cost of pumping. 

WJELL STATISTICS. 

ARTESIAN WELLS IN SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI, FROM BILOXI 

WESTWARD. 

This part of Mississippi is justly famous for its fine artesian wells. 
Not only does the water seem good and wholesome, but the pressure 
is strong and the supply is ample. 

As will be seen from the statistics given below, there are shallow 
sands from which pumping water may be had, and deeper ones from 

"Good water has recently been obtained in this region. — G, D, H., April, 1901. 



HARRIS." 1 



AETESIAIST WELLS IN MISSISSIPPI. 



31 



which a fair quantity of flowing water may be obtained, but as a rule 
the best wells are sunk to a much greater depth here than in southern 
Louisiana. 

HARRISON COUNTY. 

BILOXI. 

Section of well one-half mile east of railroad station. 
[Section by Brown.] 



Soil. 



Soil and clay 

Sand, bearing good pumping water .-=. 

Whitish clay 

Greenish clay 

Sand, extremely fine at first, becoming coarser below, coarse 
gravel 



Thickness 
in feet. 



4 

61 

35 

390 

428 



Depth in 
feet. 



4 

65 

100 

490 

918 



Pipe, 6 and 4 inches; flow, at surface of the ground, 1,000 gallons 
per minute; 500 gallons at elevation of 35 feet, 250 gallons at elevation 
of 55 feet. This indicates that the pressure head is not far from 75 
feet above tide. 

City waterworks wells. — No notes were obtained regarding the 
depths of these wells. It was observed, however, that the large 6-inch 
pipes carried the water up rapidly and filled the elevated tanks to a 
height of -10 feet above the general surface of the ground. 

Ice-factory wells. — At these wells the difference in temperature of 
the shallow and deep well was specially noted, viz: Water (flowing) 
from 500-foot stratum, 79.5° F.; from 900-foot stratum, 82.5° F. 



SHIP ISLAND. 



Quarantine station well. 
feet above tide. 



-Depth, 730 feet; mouth of well about 10 



Section of well at Quarantine station, Shij) Island. 
[Section by Dr. P. C. Kallock.] 



Soil. 



Thickness. Depth. 



White sand 

Soft clay and mud . 

Hard blue clay 

White sand 

Blue clay 

Sandstone 

Blue clay 

Water-bearing sand 



Feet. In. 
45 

155 
100 

5 

60 

5 

156 
9 



Feet. In. 

45 

200 

300 

305 

565 

565 5 

721 5 

730 5 



R9, 



UNDEEGEOUND WATEES OF SOUTHEEN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 



Light-house well. — Mouth of well perhaps 10 feet above tide; flow, 
vigorous; estimated at 50 gallons per minute from a 2-inch pipe; depth, 
750 feet. 

Section of well at light-house on Ship Island. 
[Section by Dr. Murdock.] 



Soil. 



Sand 

Yellow clay 

Blackish mud 

Fine sand, with shells 

Blue clay 

Water-bearing sand . . 



Thickness 
in feet. 



250 

100 

50 

50 

250 

50 



Depth in 
feet. 



250 
350 
400 
450 
700 
750 



.MISSISSIPPI CITY. 



C. Clemens havis well. — Depth, 925 feet; mouth of the well about 18 
feet above tide. Regarding- the well Mr. Clemenshaw remarks: 

Passed through no hard rock, no quicksand, hut clay and blue sand, the latter 
often highly micaceous. A 60-gallon per minute flow was found at a depth of 600 
feet, a 200-gallon flow at 925 feet. 

E. P. Ellis' 1 s well. — Depth, 850 feet; 3-inch pipe; flow, 80 gallons 
per minute; 55 feet above tide. 

Court-house well. — Pipe, 2^ inches; reduced to \\ inches; flow, 20 
gallons per minute; 28 feet above ground, or about 50 feet above tide. 



GENERAL SECTION FROM PASS CHRISTIAN TO BILOXI. 

According to Mr. A. Dixon, who has accompanied a well-drilling 
outfit for several years in this part of the State, the majority of the 
wells show approximately the following section: 

General section of tvells between Pass Christian and Biloxi. 



Soil. 



Sand 

Clay 

Sand, and clay 

Light-gray fine sand. 

Clay 

Water-bearing sand . 



Thickness 
in feet. 



SO 



Depth in 
feet. 



80 
125 
425 
500 
600 
685 



HARRIS.] 



WELLS IIS LOUISIANA EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 



33 



BAY ST. LOUIS. 



Mr. N. H. Darton ft gives the following data for this locality: 

Many wells; temperature of deeper, 78°; depth, 400 to 600 feet; size, from 2 to 4£ 
inches; yield per minute, 100 to 105 gallons. 



ARTESIAN AND DEEP WELLS IN LOUISIANA EAST OF THE 

MISSISSIPPI. 



ST. TAMMANY PARISH. 



COVINGTON AND VICINITY. 



Court-house well. — In yard in front of the court-house; April, 1901, 
flow, 2£ gallons per minute; temperature, 73° F. ; June 26, 1903, flow, 

1 gallon per minute; temperature, 72.4° F. Elevation of ground, 32 
feet; of flow, 35.6 feet above tide. 

Dixon Academy well. — One-half mile west of Covington; pipe, 2£ 
inches; flow, 25 gallons per minute, 1901; temperature, 72.6° F., June 
26, 1903; elevation of flow, 26.7 feet above tide. 

Dummet well. — On Holmesville road; depth, 572 feet; pipe, about 

2 inches; flow, according to driller, Robert Wallbillick, 1901, when 
first put down, 2 feet from ground, 21 gallons per minute. Record by 
G. D. Harris, 1903, 15 gallons per minute, about 3 feet above ground; 
temperature, 71° F. 

Section of Dummet well, St. Tammany Parish. 
[Section furnished by Mr. Wallbillick.] 



Thickness 
in feet. 


Depth in 
feet. 


15 


15 


6 


21 


35 


56 


25 


81 


12 


93 


6 


99 


14 


113 


6 


119 


8 


127 


10 


137 


1 


138 


10 


148 


2 


150 


10 


160 



White clay 

Yellow clay 

White clay 

Coarse v/hite sand 

Fine gravel 

Coarse white sand 

Coarse white sand and gravel . 
Coarse yellow sand and gravel 

Coarse yellow sand 

Gravel 

Red clay 

Gravel 

Red clay 

Gravel 



a Water-Supply and Irrigation Paper No. 57, 1902, United States Geological Survey. 
irr 101—04- 3 



34 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 

Section of Dummet well, St. Tammany Parish — Continued. 



Thickness 
in feet. 



Depth in 

feet. 



Red sand and gravel 

Gravel 

Red sand 

Coarse gravel • - 

Coarse white sand 

White clay 

Blue clay 

Fine bluish and greenish water-bearing sand 

Bl ue clay 

Gray sand 

Fine blue and greenish sand 



20 
32 
38 
25 

4 

18 

183 

7 
71 

6 



180 
212 
250 
275 
279 
297 
480 
487 
558 
564 
572 



John DutcKs well. — In north-central part of Covington; depth, 
600 feet; flow, 20 gallons per minute; temperature, 74° F. , April 17, 
1901; elevation of flow, 35.6 feet above tide. 

3f/'.j. Flower's wells. — These records were furnished by Mr. Wall- 
billick, and show that here, as elsewhere, there are sandy strata bear- 
ing water at far lesp depths than the beds furnishing the water that 
will flow above the surface of the ground. Such wells are termed 
shallow or pumping wells. 

Sections of Mrs. Flower's ivells, St. Tammany Parish. 



Well No. 1: 

White clay 

Blue clay 

White sand 

Blue clay „ 

Shells mixed with blue clay 

Fine white sand 

Coarse white sand ( pumping stratum ) 
Well No. 2: 

White clay 

Blue clay 

White clay 

Shells mixed with black clay 

Dark clay 

AVhite sand 



icknc 


;ss. 


Ft. 


in. 


30 


6 


18 


6 


2 





17 





1 


6 


27 


6 


6 





40 





2 





21 








6 


9 


6 


21 






Ft. in 

30 

49 

51 

68 

69 

97 
103 

40 
42 
63 
63 
73 
94 



These wells are but 300 feet apart. 



U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 101 PL. V 




A. WELL IN BARN LOT OF THE HERNANDEZ PLACE, 2\ MILES NORTH OF 
COVINGTON, LA. 




B. WELL IN MR. ANDERSON'S BARNYARD, THREE-FOURTHS OF A MILE NORTH- 
WEST OF HAMMOND STATION, LA. 



Harris.] WELLS LIST LOUISIANA EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 35 

II nailer's well. — Southwestern part of Covington; depth, 520 
feet; pipe, 2 inches; flow, 30 gallons per minute; temperature, 72° F., 
June, 1903. 

Hernandez place, well by house. — About 2 miles north of Covington; 
depth, 610 feet; pipe, 2.5 inches; flow from 1-inch pipe, January, 
1901, 38-sr gallons per minute; April, 1901 (from whole pipe?), 60 
gallons per minute; temperature, 1901, 73° F.; elevation of ground, 
46.1 feet above tide; top of basin, 47.3 feet; of pipe, 48.5 feet. 

Hernandez well, by barn. — About 2£ miles north of Covington; 
depth approximately as in last well; pipe, 2£ inches; flow, January, 
1901, 35^ gallons per minute; March, 1902, 54i gallons per minute; 
June, 27, 1903, 40 gallons per minute; temperature, 72.25°; elevation 
of ground, 47.4 feet; of pipe, 52; pressure head considerably above 60 
above tide. 

This is the well shown in PL V, A, and is usually considered one of 
the best in this part of the State, but it has not the capacity of the well 
by the house, which is so piped that satisfactory measurements of its 
flow are hard to obtain. This beautiful summer residence is now the 
property of Louis P. Rice, of Covington and New Orleans. 

Ice factory wells. — Three wells of the "shallow" type before men- 
tioned, two 2 inch and one 2i inch, furnish, when pumped, sufficient 
water for the ice factory. The water rises to within about 8 feet of 
the surface. 

Lyon well. — At Claiborne, 1 mile east of Covington; depth, 630 feet; 
pipe, 2 inches; flow, 30 gallons per minute; temperature, 73°, April, 
1901; flow, 26 gallons per minute; temperature, 74°, June 26, 1903; 
elevation, 26.6 feet above tide. 

Maison Blanche. — Depth, 480 feet; pipe, 2 inches, reduced to 1 inch; 
flow per minute, April, 1901, 20i gallons; March, 1902, 23i gallons; 
June 26, 1903, 16|- gallons; temperature, 72.25°; elevation of ground, 
31 feet 6 inches of top of basin, 33.6 feet of flow, 35.5 feet above tide. 
Other wells. — There are many other flowing wells about Covington, 
but the data presented above will give a fair idea of their general 
character. It will be seen that as the depth increases the temperature 
also increases, as might well be expected. For a 600-foot well a tem- 
perature of 74° is about normal here. Compare these in this respect 
with the Hammond and Ponchatoula wells. 

There is a flow about Covington at present, within a radius of 3 
miles, of about 300 gallons per minute; and as is generally the case the 
water is mainly wasted, i. e., allowed to flow to no purpose. 

ABITA SPRINGS. 

Abita Hotel and Cottage Company well. — Half mile east of Abita 
Springs Station (elevation of station 38.3 feet above tide); depth, given 
by some as 545, by others, 525 feet; pipe, 2 inches; flow through stop- 



36 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 

cock, 51 gallons per minute; temperature, 73°; no screen. This is a 
new well, put down this season (1903). When allowed to flow freely 
it reduces the pressure of neighboring- wells materially, especially 
those to the west and south. 

Aiibert Hotel well. — About one-third mile southeast of station; depth, 
585 feet; pipe, li inches; flow from a faucet, 2£ feet above the ground; 
38.3 feet above tide January, 1901; 12£ gallons per minute through a 
network of pipes 60 feet long; June 26, 1903, 22 gallons per minute, 
direct from well at a height of about 38 feet above tide. 

See analysis given on p. 78. Pressure head at least 50 feet above 
tide. 

Frank Brinker's well. — One-fourth mile northwest of the station; 
pipe, 2 inches; depth, 571 feet; flow through stopcock about 2 feet 
above the surface of the ground, 27 gallons per minute; no screen; 
temperature, 73° F. 

Ldbat Hotel well. — One-fourth mile north of the station; depth, 526 
feet; pipe, 1^ inches; original flow, seven or eight years ago, said to 
be 15 gallons per minute; flow, January, 1901, from faucet, 15.2 feet 
above tide, 37 gallons; flow from pipe with stopcock but without faucet, 
June 26, 1903, 56 gallons per minute; temperature, 71°. When the 
size of the pipe is taken into consideration this is the most freely 
flowing well in St. Tammany Parish. 

Okas. W. /Schmidt's well. — A few yards south of the station; depth 
supposed to be 800 feet; pipe, 1£ inches; flow through a one-half inch 
faucet, in 1901 and 1903, 1 gallons per minute; temperature, 72°; ele- 
vation of ground, 35.6 feet; of faucet, 36.6 feet above tide. This was 
perhaps the earliest artesian well in this vicinity. It was not decidedly 
successful, doubtless on account of the novelty of the undertaking. 
The temperature indicates that its flow of water comes from a depth 
much short of 800 feet. 

Simon's Hotel well. — Just east of the station; hotel building burned; 
pipe, 1^ inches; flow through two elbows and a horizontal pipe 2 feet 
in length, January, 1901, 12 gallons per minute; April, 1901, 11 gal- 
lons; June, 1903, 10 gallons; temperature, 1901, 72°; 1903,73°; eleva- 
tion of ground, 38.3 feet of top of basin, 11.7 feet of top of pipe, 13.6 
feet above tide. 

Limit of supply . — The present flow of water from artesian wells 
about Abita Springs is not far from 200 gallons per minute. The 
sensitiveness, especially on the part of the smaller wells, to the flow 
from the new, large well would seem to indicate that the supply, 
though ample for all legitimate uses, should not be unduly drawn 
upon, else pumping in some instances will have to be resorted to. 

PEARL RIVER JUNCTION. 

When compared with most of the wells in this part of the State the 
well at Pearl River Junction appears remarkable for the great amount 



hakkis.] WELLS ITST LOUISIANA EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 37 

of water it furnishes at a shallow depth. The water is not regarded 
as suitable for boiler and drinking purposes, though for common 
household uses it serves excellentl}'. Depth, 350 feet; pipe, 2^ inches; 
flow through a stopcock at the rate of 72 gallons per minute; flow 
from open 2£-inch pipe said to be 90 gallons per minute; pressure 
head, 51 feet above tide. The elevation of station is 31 feet above tide. 

MANDEVILLE JUNCTION. 

At Mandeville Junction there is an excellent well that furnishes the 
railroad tank with water, flowing up freely 27 feet above the ground. 
Since no levels have ever been run over this road it is not possible to 
state the exact height of the well above tide. 

MANDEVILLE. 

The elevation of station at Mandeville is 6.8 feet above tide. 

Dessome well. — Northeastern part of the village, in flower garden; 
depth, 217 feet; pipe, 2 inches; flow per minute, March, 1901, 28.1 gal- 
lons; March, 1902, 26 gallons; June 27, 1903, 28 gallons; temperature 
in 1902, 69.5°; in June, 1903, 69.8° F. Flows from pipe 9 feet above 
tide; pressure head, Hi feet above tide. 

Mrs. John Hawkins's well. — Western part of the village; pipe, 2 
inches, reduced to li inches; flow per minute, 1902, 10 gallons; in 1903, 
13 gallons; temperature in 1902, 68.5°; in 1903, 70° F. Flow from a 
pipe 7. 35 feet above tide. 

C. IT. Jackson 's well. — Depth, 135 feet; pipe, 1|- inches, reduced to 
1 inch; flow, 0.97 gallon per minute; height of flow, 13.8 feet above 
tide. 

Dr. Paints well. — Flow, open 2-inch pipe, 10.6 gallons per minute; 
reduced to 1 inch, 10i gallons per minute; through inch pipe with 
stopcock attached, 9.1 gallons per minute. Elevation of ground, 
3.85 feet; of flow, 6.80 feet above tide. 

Ribava well. — Depth, 217 feet; flow, from open 1^ inch pipe, 12 gal- 
lons per minute, 1901; through stopcock, 9i gallons per minute in 
1902; through stopcock, 1903, 7 gallons per minute; temperature, 71°, 
February, 1902; 72°, June, 1903; elevation of ground, 3.12 feet; of 
flow, 4.9 feet above tide. 

Rush well. — North of station, perhaps one-third mile; depth, 252 
feet; pipe, 2 inches, reduced to 1 inch; flow, 7 gallons per minute; 4 
feet above the general level of the ground. 

Depths. — As in several other regions already described, there are 
here to be found beds yielding water at a depth considerably less than 
that attained by most of the artesian wells. The water in the shallower 
wells usually stands, in the vicinity of Covington, as well as about 
Hammond, from 2 to 10 feet below the surface. Here such shallow 
wells, about 90 feet deep, actually flow, though not vigorously. 



38 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no.101. 

It will be noticed that the wells about Mandeville are very much 
shallower than at Covington, 9 miles to the north. They are about 
3° cooler, and have a less ferruginous taste and appearance. The 
wells about Slidell have not been examined, but Mr. Blakemore, of 
New Orleans, says that there the Mandeville water (300 feet), and a 
decidedly bad "yellow" water (perhaps 700 feet down), are met with. 
The latter is described as the same water that is found at the same 
depth in the city of New Orleans. 



CHINCHUBA. 

Depth, 325 feet; pipe, 2 inches; flow reduced to one-third inch 
pipe, hence with pressure head of but 7.3 feet; temperature, 72° F. ; 
elevation of ground, 19 feet above tide. 

Other wells at a brickyard to the north, and at a locality 1 miles 
to the northwest, are reported to have satisfactory artesian wells, but 
they were not visited. 

TANGIPAHOA PARISH. 

singletry's still. 

This well is about 9 miles northwest of Covington, or in the SW. 
i NW. i sec. 31, 5 S., 10 E. It is so distant from any other flowing 
well that the following statistics and section, though imperfect, will 
be of considerable interest to landowners and well men in this section 
of the State. 

Section of ivell at Singletry's still. 
[Section given by E. P. Singletry.] 



Thickness 
in feet. 



Depth in 
feet. 



Sand and clay 

Quicksand 

Red clay 

Pipe clay 

Blue sand . . . 



100 
120 
170 
160 
10 



100 
220 
390 
550 
560 



Depth, 560 feet; pipe, about 2 inches; flow, 18 gallons per minute, 
with several small leaks; height of pipe where measured, 78 feet above 
tide. (See analysis, p. 78.) The elevation was determined in 1901 by 
J. Pacheco and G. D. Harris, who ran a spirit-level line out from 
Covington. 



HAMMOND. 



The elevation of the railroad station at Hammond is 13.3 feet above 
tide. 

Captain Anderson? s well. — For general appearance of the well see 



haeeis.] WELLS IN LOUISIANA EAST OP THE MISSISSIPPI. 39 

PL V, B; depth, 272 feet; size, 2 inches; flow, 20 gallons per minute; 
temperature of water, 70.5°; strainer or point, 10 feet. 

Section: Sand to 40 feet, a thick bed of blue clay, then sand and 
gravel to the bottom. 

Well sunk and cased with galvanized pipe for 55 cents per foot; 
hence total cost of well, approximately, $150. 

Baltzell & Thomas livery stable well. — Depth, 330 feet; size, 2 
inches; temperature, 71.5°; flow, 21 gallons per minute, June 23, 1903; 
screen, 7 feet long. 

B. F. BauerWs well. — One and one-half miles south-southwest of 
Hammond; depth, 212 feet; size, 2 inches; temperature, 69°; flow, 
June 23, 1903, 8f gallons per minute. 

DurJc.ee well. — Depth, 297 feet; size, 2 inches reduced to li inches; 
flow in March, 1901, 21 gallons per minute, besides two small distrib- 
uting pipes that could not be closed; flow, same conditions, June 23, 
1903, 21 gallons per minute. 

Eastman well. — One and one-half miles south of Hammond; depth, 
309 feet; pipe, 2 inches; flow, 30 gallons per minute, in 1901; pressure, 
5i pounds per square inch; temperature, 72° F. 

Forbes well. — One mile east of Hammond, NE. \ NW. i, section 30; 
depth, 250 feet; flow, June 23, 1903, 7i gallons per minute; size, li 
inches; pressure head, 17 feet above surface of ground; age, 8 years. 

Three water-bearing beds were encountered in sinking this well: 
(1) Depth, 52 feet, water coming to within 2 feet of surface; (2) 150 
feet, coming to within 8 feet of surface; (3) 250 feet, with head of 17 
feet. 

Hermann well. — Two miles south-southwest of Hammond. Impos- 
sible to obtain accurate data, except pressure, %\ pounds per square 
inch. 

Hammond Ice Company's well. — Depth, 310 feet; pipe, 2 inches; 
flow in 1901, about 50 feet above tide, 15 gallons per minute; same 
conditions, June, 1903, 11 gallons per minute; temperature, both 
years, 72° F. 

Hammond Mineral Water Company {Limited). — Well, 160 feet deep; 
pipe, 3 inches; flow, about 16 feet above tide, 65 gallons per minute. 

C. H. HommeVs well. — One-half mile southeast of Hammond; depth,' 
318 feet; flow, impossible to measure now; said to have been, when 
well was first put down, 15 gallons per minute; temperature, 70.5° F. 

Alfred Jacksorfs well. — Depth, 265 feet; pipe, li inches; flow, 3 
feet above surface of the ground, June, 1903, 6f gallons per minute; 
temperature, 71° F. 

June Brothers' sawmill well. — Depth, 377 feet; pipe, 2 inches; 
flow, at a point 5 feet above the ground, open pipe with one elbow, 
June 22, 1903, 21 gallons per minute; temperature, 71° F. 

Kate well. — In western part of the village, on Morris avenue; size 



40 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 

of pipe, 2 inches; free flow, perhaps 3 feet above the general surface 
of the ground, 30 gallons per minute, June 23, 1903; temperature, 
70.6° F. A new well, just finished. 

Fred Karlton i s well. — One-half mile southeast of Hammond; depth, 
302 feet; pipe, 2 inches below, reduced to 1\ above surface of ground; 
screen, 10 feet; flow, June, 1903, 21 gallons per minute; cost, $150; 
temperature, 70.5° F. 

Kemp well. — Three-fourths mile southeast of Hammond; pipe, li 
inches; flow, June, 1903, 5 gallons per minute; temperature, 70° F. 

Merritt Miller's well. — Depth, 265 feet; pipe, 2 inches, reduced 
to li; flow in 1901, 28i gallons per minute; elevation of flow, 44 
feet above tide; pressure head, 56.6 feet above tide; temperature, 
71° F. 

Morrison well. — Pipe, 2 inches; flow, 46 feet above tide, 1901, 20 
gallons per minute; June; 1903, same flow; pressure head, 51.7 feet 
above tide; temperature, 72° F. 

Oaks Hotel well. — Depth, 300 feet; pipe, 2 inches; flow, 25 gallons 
per minute; age, ten )^ears; temperature, 71° F. See analysis, 
p. 78. 

Oil well. — The following section was obtained from samples in 
1901: 

Section of oil well at Hammond, Tangipahoa Parish. 

Depth in feet. 

Clay 45-55 

Sand and gravel 85-100 

Yellow loam 173 

Water-bearing sand . 294 

Coarse sand 368 

Coarse sand and gravel 475 

The same, more sandy 500-512 

5-foot bed of hard blue clay, about 570 

"Pepper and salt sand" 5704- 

The new well, June, 1903, was over 760 feet deep. It was gener- 
ally understood that its section tallied with the old one fairly closely 
so far as the latter went down. The " 5-foot bed of clay " of the old 
well showed only 3 feet in the new. From approximately 570 feet in 
the new, gravel was abundant to 760. Below, a hard bed of clay had 
been encountered, light colored above, but growing much darker 
below. 

Pushee well. — One mile south of Hammond; west of the railroad; 
depth, 380 feet; 340 feet of li-inch pipe, 40 feet of li-inch pipe; no 
screen; flow recorded by Mr. Pacheco March, 1901, 14i gallons per 
minute; April, 1901, 15£ gallons; by G. D. Harris, June 23, 1903, 11 
gallons per minute; temperature, 70.6° F. 



hareis.] WELLS IN LOUISIANA EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 41 

Robinson well. — Northwest quarter of the town (see analysis, p. 78); 
depth, 356 feet; size of pipe, 2 inches; flow not ascertained because it 
is piped to various places quite inaccessible. 

Rogers's {Ben) well. — West of Hammond, § mile; depth, 284 feet; 
2-inch pipe reduced to 1 inch; flow, 17 gallons per minute; tempera- 
ture, 70.5° F.; cost, $142. 

Section of Rogers' s well, Hammond, Tangipahoa Parish. 

Clay. 

Quicksand to 75 feet. 

Clay. 

Sand, last 50 feet. 

Lower end of screen (10 feet) stuck in clay bed. 

Erastus Rogers's well. — Depth, 225 feet; pipe, li inches; flow, 5 feet 
from ground, 2i gallons per minute; temperature, 70°; strainer 
(screen), 8 feet. 

J. T. Smith! s well. — One mile east of Hammond; depth, 235 feet; 
temperature, 69° F. ; pipe, H inches; flow, 6.5 feet above ground, 1\ 
gallons per minute; age, one year; cost, $108. 

W. B. Smiths well. — One-half mile southeast of Hammond; depth 
said by some to be 260, by others 305, feet; pipe, 2 inches reduced to 
li; temperature, 70.5°; flow, Hi* gallons per minute; age, eight 
years. 

Tigner well. — Two miles southeast of Hammond; flow, 20 gallons 
per minute; pipe, 2 inches; temperature, 70° F. 

W. J. Wilmofs well. — Depth, about 370 feet; pipe, 2 inches reduced 
to 1 inch; flow, said to be 40 gallons per minute; pressure, 2 feet 
above the ground, 7.7 pounds per square inch; flows readily 14 feet 
above ground, with small leaks in pipe; would doubtless flow 20 feet 
above ground. 

IT. Walshs well. — One and one-half miles south-southeast of Ham- 
mond, in section 31; depth, 298 feet; pipe, 1£ inches reduced to 1 inch; 
flows through 30 feet horizontal pipe, with stopcock, 5^ gallons per 
minute; temperature, 70.75° F. ; age, five years. 

Way well. — One and one-half miles south-southwest of Hammond; 
depth, 140 feet; flow, 3 gallons per minute; temperature, 69° F. 

Summary of wells about Hammond. — Water may be had by pump- 
ing, from wells ranging in depth from 30 to 100 feet; a sand, or quick- 
sand, furnishes a slight flow generally at 140 to 150 feet, flow or not 
depending on topography; temperature, 69° F. ; after passing more 
clay, to depths ranging from 230 to 380 feet, coarser sand or gravel is 
encountered, furnishing an artesian flow above the ground of from 10 
to 20 feet, according to topography; temperature, 69° to 72° F. 

The well of the Mineral Water Company, with 3-inch pipe, and a 
depth of about 460 feet, with a flow of 65 gallons per minute, as well 



42 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 



as the log of the oil well, shows conclusively that better and larger 
wells may be expected in this vicinity. The Morrison and Durkee 
wells, some distance apart, in the central portion of the town, have 
shown no change whatever in flow for the past two years. Since they 
are of the normal size and depth, it is evident that the available 
supply is as yet far greater than the demand. 

In a radius of two miles of Hammond there are already about 50 
flowing wells, yielding about 1,000 gallons of water per minute, or 
half a billion gallons annually, nearly all of which is wasted. 

Decrease in the flow of certain wells in this neighborhood is due 
solely to increased obstruction in the lower end of the pipe. 

The cost of these wells is not far from 50 cents a foot, labor, 
casing, etc., being furnished by the driller. The usual size pipe is 2 
inches in diameter; in case smaller pipe is used the cost of the well is 
somewhat less. See notes on J. T. Smith's well, above. 

Age of the wells examined, from two months to ten years. When 
properly screened, or put down into coarse gravel, these wells seem 
to flow as freely now as when first put down. 

Local well drillers: Bacon and Gamble, Edwin Way, John Blum- 
quist. 

PONCHATOULA. 

The elevation of the railroad station at Ponchatoula is 29 feet above 
tide. 

Alber well. — Two hundred feet from the town well; depth, 413 feet; 
pipe, 2 inches; flow, 25 gallons per minute; head about 30 feet above 
the surface of the ground. Bacon and Gamble, drillers. 

G. H. BiegeVs well. — At Pelican Hotel; depth, 232 feet; flow, 4f 
gallons per minute, 1901; 2f gallons per minute, 1903; temperature, 
71° in 1901; 69.5° in 1903; pipe, 11 inches; height of flow about 31 
feet above tide. 

Mrs. Bishop's well. — Old, deserted place, 3 miles north of Poncha- 
toula, 2 miles south of Hammond; depth, 170 feet; pipe, li inches; 
temperature, 69.5° F. ; flow, 10 gallons per minute; age, about nine 
years. 

The section of this well, according to John Blumquist, who drilled 
it, is as follows: 

Section of Bishop well, Ponchatoula. 



Clay 

Sand, with some water 

Blue clay 

Coarse sand 



Thickness 
in feet. 


Depth in 

feet. 


50 


50 


20 


70 


94 


164 


6 


170 



haeeis.] WELLS IN LOUISIANA EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 



43 



C. A. McKlnneif s well. — About \ mile southwest of Ponchatoula; 
depth, 199f feet; flow said to be variable, caving - in evidently taking- 
place below; on June 24, 1903, 12 gallons per minute; pipe, \\ inches; 
age, four years. 

Moon well. — Same general vicinity as preceding; depth, 200 feet; 
pipe, li inches; flow, 12 gallons per minute; age, seven years. Near 
by this is the Fisher well with a flow of 10 gallons per minute. 

Railroad well. — At Chester, 100 feet north of fiftieth milepostfrom 
New Orleans, west of track and 5 feet below the level of rails; flow, 
3f gallons per minute; pipe, li inches; temperature, 70° F. 

Town well. — In public square; flow, 1901, 2£ gallons; in 1903, 2f- 
gallons per minute; temperature, 71°, 1901; 70°, 1903. See table of 
analyses for further information regarding this and the Biegel well. 

Sawmill well. — Depth, 332 feet; flow, 5 gallons per minute. 

Section of sawmill well, Ponchatoula. 
[Section given by Bacon and Gamble.] 



Yellow and gray blue clay 

Gray sand and gravel 

Blue clay, about 

Fine blue sand 

Coarse white sand 

Fine blue sand, with thin beds of clay . . 
Sand a little coarser, weak flow of water 



Thickness 
in feet. 


Depth in 
feet. 


75 


75 


15 


90 


35 


125 


105 


230 


30 


260 


40 


300 


32 


332 



ORLEANS PARISH. 

The fact that there are two well-defined water-bearing strata" under 
New Orleans has already been mentioned. A number of additional 
facts can now be presented. 

The old Canal street well of 1854, so often referred to in geological 
literature, both on account of its great depth, as borings then went, 
and, more especially, on account of the careful record kept by Mr. 
Blanchard of the beds passed through, including many fossils, still 
remains the type section for this general region of the country down 
to a depth of 630 feet. No recent boring has been recorded with 
the interest and painstaking care that was displayed in this well. 
This is most seriously to be regretted, as the number of wells sunk 
has been very large, and their records, if carefully kept, would furnish 
material for an interesting chapter in the geological history of the 

a Kept. Geol. Survey Louisiana for 1902, p. 221. 



44 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 



southern Mississippi Valley. The records of the deeper wells, ranging 
from 1,200 to 1,400 feet, have been wanting altogether. The record 
of the Fabacher well, given below, will therefore be of unusual interest 
to those who are interested in the geology of New Orleans, either from 
a purely economic or scientific point of view. Fortunate, too, from a 
geological standpoint, is the collapsing of the screen at the base of the 
casing in the Young Men's Gymnasium well, at a depth of about 1,300 
feet, allowing the sand and tine shells to enter the pipe and be brought 
to the surface by the force of the flowing water. 



DEEP SALT-WATER WELLS. 



Young Metis Gymnasium Club well. — Depth supposed to be 1,356 
feet, though some claim that 1,250 is nearer the truth; natural flow, 
40 gallons per minute; forced, 125 gallons; gas escapes at the rate of 
830 cubic feet in twenty-four hours; specific gravity, 1.016. 

Analysis of water oftvell at Young Men's Gymnasium Club. 
[Ordway and Kirchoff, analysts.] 





Parts in 

100,000. 


Grains per 
gallon. 


Chloride sodium 


2, 115. 9 

138.2 

75.7 

1.3 

Trace. 

86.8 

4.7 

Trace. 


"•2.82 


Chloride calcium 


81.2 


Chloride magnesium 


44.9 


Chloride ammonia „_ 


.8 


Chloride potash 


Trace. 


Carbonate calcium 


40.8 


Oxides of Fe and Al 


2.8 


Phosphate 


Trace. 







a Ounces. 

Fahacher's well. — AtFabacher's "Casino," corner Nashville avenue 
and St. Charles street; depth, 1,229 feet; pipe, 4 inches; flow 1 foot 
above ground, 55 gallons per minute; flow, reduced to 2 inches and 
raised 10 feet above the ground, 6 gallons per minute; flow stops at 
12 feet above ground; temperature, 81.5° F. 



haeris.] WELLS IN LOUISIANA EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 



45 



Section of Fabacher's well, New Orleans. 
[Furnished by Mr. Blakemore.] 



Character of material. 



Thickness 
in feet. 



Depth 
in feet. 



Blue clay * 

White sand with shells 

Yellowish-white clay 

Gray sand 

Blue clay 

Reddish sand 

Gray sand 

Blue clay, with pockets of shells 

Gray sand 

Blue clay 

Hard white clay 

Hard blue clay 

Blue water sand (fresh water) 

Blue tenacious clay 

White sand (resembling white sugar) 

Blue clay 

Fine shells 

Gray water sand 



37 

20 

5 

105 
20 
20 
80 

280 

2 

40 

19 

30 

225 

150 

40 

85 

6 

65 



37 

57 

62 

167 

187 

207 

287 

567 

569 

609 

628 

658 

883 

1,033 

1,073 

1,158 

1,164 

1, 229 



A forthcoming report will deal with the fossil remains saved from 
this well by Mr. Fabacher, and similar ones preserved by Mr. John 
Kracke, from the gymnasium well. They appear to be of Pleistocene 
or Quaternary age. 



THE COMMON "YELLOW-WATER" WELLS. 



These include the 600 to 900 foot wells bored at frequent intervals 
over the city. One of the earliest wells of this class sunk in New 
Orleans was in the neutral grounds on Canal street, between Caron- 
dalet and Baronne streets, in the year 1854. A colored section of this 
well, as originally kept by A. G. Blanchard, C. E., of New Orleans, 
appears in the report of the board of health of Louisiana for 1890-91. a 
From this it will be observed that the strata penetrated to a depth of 
630 feet consist of light yellowish and bluish sands and clays with 
some light greenish layers and occasional shell sands. 6 

One of the most recent wells of this class is that at the Marine 
Hospital, Audubon Park. This is 765 feet deep. The first 600 feet 
are reported as sand, silt, and clay beds; a bed of yellow sand, perhaps 

a Biennial Rept. Board of Health to the general assembly of the State of Louisiana for 1890-91, plate 
opposite p. 148. Baton Rouge, 1892. 
b Rept. Geol. Survey Louisiana for 1903, p. 221. 



46 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 

40 feet thick, was encountered some distance below, and continued to 
705 feet. From there on for 60 feet the material consists of white 
sand. The water rises to within about 3 feet of the surface at present. 
This 6-inch well is capable of furnishing 300 gallons per minute. The 
water is classed as excellent for washing purposes, requiring but half 
as much soap as the river water. It is also excellent for boiler pur- 
poses, but is impotable. 

The flow from this shallower class of wells has always been weak, 
and the large number of such wells has still further weakened the flow, 
There is a tendency now, when more water is required, to seek the 
lower level. This water is excellent for bathing purposes, containing, 
as the above analysis shows, a large amount of common salt. 

The great range in depth here given really includes two or more 
water-bearing horizons, though at various localities but one may be 
represented. 

THE 400-FOOT SANDS. 

In the old well on the neutral grounds, just referred to, a sand bed 
was passed through from 335 to 480 feet below the surface that fur- 
nished artesian water at the rate of 350 gallons an hour. 

SHALLOW WELLS. 

Very close by Mr. Fabacher's deep well, above described, is a well 
but 180 feet in depth, fitted with a 3-inch casing, that flows 12 gallons 
per minute 1 foot above the surface of the ground. It is brackish. 
Temperature, 70° F. 

Small driven wells in the city limits, at varying shallow depths, 
reach sandy, coarse material that bears water, evidently closely con- 
nected with the river. 

BONNABEL "WELL. 

One of the most interesting wells that has ever been put down in 
the vicinity of New Orleans is that on the shore of Lake Pontchar- 
train, about 1 mile west of West End. An attempt was here made to 
start a summer resort under the name of Lake City, and this well was 
•sunk for a supply of fresh water. According to Mr. Bonnabel, the 
well is 1,200 feet deep, but a letter from the driller indicates that it is 
not over 900 feet deep. It now flows from a 2f -inch pipe, standing 
about 8 feet above tide, 12 gallons per minute, with a temperature of 
79° (measured July 5, 1903). 

Mr. Bonnabel makes the following remarks regarding the well 
section: 

Five-inch casing to 600 feet, hitting rock; 3-inch casing to 700 feet; then 1J- 
inch casing to 1,200 feet. Compact, ferruginous conglomerate, 60 feet thick, was 
passed through about 700 feet down; then a black, hard clay was encountered, giving 
way to bluish sand; water in pale blue clay. 



hareis.] WELLS IN LOUISIANA EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 47 

The analysis of the water lyy Mr. Joseph Albrecht, as given in a 
handbook regarding "Lake City," is as follows: 

Analysis of water from Bonnabel well. 

Grains per gallon. 

Sodium chloride 27. 74 

Sodium carbonate 34. 39 

Potassium carbonate 4. 49 

Silica carbonate 1. 69 

Organic matter free of nitrogen 0. 46 

Carbonic acid combined as bicarbonates 13. 33 

Total 82. 10 

The features of the section outlined by Mr. Bonnabel are in some 
ways remarkable, and if it were certain that there is no error in the 
matter there might be grounds for supposing that there had been 
some orogenic movement in this region tfiat brought up rocks belong- 
ing to a horizon beneath the Pleistocene to an elevation of but 600 
feet below tide level. It is probable that the water comes from the 
same stratum that is found at a depth of 500 to 600 feet about Coving- 
ton and Abita Springs, and that it is the same as the 600 to 900 foot 
sand beds penetrated and so largely drawn from throughout the city of 
New Orleans. The fact that the water may be potable at Covington, 
barely so at Lake City, and quite impotable in New Orleans, is readily 
explained by the very slight slope of the water-bearing stratum, and 
hence the very slow movement of the underground waters. A slope 
of perhaps 150 feet in 35 or 36 miles can scarcely give an appreciable 
daily motion through sand that is generally very fine. When we 
consider also the rapid formation of this coastal region of Louisiana, 
and the great amount of organic matter that was brought Gulf ward 
then as well as now and deposited along in the sand and clay beds of 
Pliocene times, it is no wonder that the slowly moving waters should 
become strongly impregnated with various salts and so-called impuri- 
ties as they pass Gulf ward (see fig. 4). 

Since such is the condition of affairs in and about New Orleans, 
there seems to be no valid reason for supposing that the city will ever 
be supplied with potable artesian water derived from local wells. 

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH. 
KUDDOCK. 

Mr. John Blumquist, of Hammond, says that the well at this place 
opposite the railroad station is 338 feet deep. It flows strongty, but 
the water stains everything red, even glass. 



48 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 

EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH. 
BATON ROUGE AND VICINITY. 

Waterworks, two wells. — Old well put down in 1892; depth, 758 feet; 
water rises to within 6 feet of surface, i. e., approximately 30 feet 
above tide; capacity given as 500,000 gallons daily. 

Analysis of ivater of waterworks well at Baton Rouge. 

[B. B. Ross, analyst.] 

Grains per gallon. 

Total solid matter 14. 3175 

Mineral matter =. 12. 1597 

Organic and volatile matter 2. 1578 

Silica 1 . 3413 

Potash ,.' 2251 

Soda _■ -. 5. 9929 

Lime 5009 

Magnesia 2939 

Oxides of Fe and Al 5056 

Phosphoric acid . 03196 

Sulphuric acid , 1. 8819 

Chlorine 4655 

Oxygen oxidizing organic matter 04228 

Nitrogen, albuminoid ammonia . . , . . 00676 

Nitrogen as free ammonia 00519 

Nitrogen as nitrates 00192 

Sulphuric acid and chlorine combined as — 

Potassium sulphate 4171 

Sodium sulphate 3. 0022 

Sodium chloride 7494 

This well has an 8-inch pipe for 386 feet; 6-inch pipe for 304 feet; 
4i-inch pipe for 68 feet. New well starts with 10-inch pipe, and is 
6 inches the rest of the way down; depth, 800 feet; flow at surface 
about 35 feet above tide. 

The two wells are said to have a capacity or 1,000,000 gallons a day. 
Pumped with compressed air. 

Istrouma Hotel well. — Depth, according to the Blakemore Well 
Company, of New Orleans, 770 feet; water stands 18 feet below the 
surface of the ground. It is of the same quality as the water obtained 
at the waterworks, and pumps with a suction pump at the surface 
about 80 gallons per minute. 

Well 4- miles east of Baton Rouge. — Pipe 1-inch, flow from 2-inch 
hole 4^ feet above ground, 5 gallons per minute; from 2-inch hole 
li feet above ground, 30 gallons per minute; temperature 71° F. 
Pressure head about 50 feet above tide. 

BAKER. 

Well at old mill, one-fourth mile south of statio?i. — Depth, 850 feet; 
2-inch pipe; has flowed freely 16 feet above present faucet. It now 
furnishes large quantities of water. 



harkis.] WELLS IN LOUISIANA WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 49 

Elevation of pressure head, about 100 feet above tide. (Elevation 
of Baker station given by Gannett as 82 feet above tide.) 

Driven wells, 150 feet deep, furnish fair water. Bored wells, 25 to 
10 feet deep, yield very impure water. 



Wells here, some as deep as 200 feet, have to be pumped. Most of 
the water used is from shallow bored wells. 

WEST FELICIANA PARISH. 

BAYOU SARA. 

Well just southeast of railroad station, 210 feet deep; passed through 
gravel at 100 feet. It is pumped. Darton gives the following data 
from one well at this place: Depth, 736 feet; pipe 1-inch; yield, 317 
gallons; height of water [above mouth of well?] +2 feet; temperature 
63°. For another he gives siinply depth 150 feet and "height" 
+1 foot. 

ARTESIAN AND DEEP WELLS IN LOUISIANA WEST OF THE 

MISSISSIPPI. 

LA FOURCHE PARISH. 

THIBODAUX. 

Ice factory well. — Depth, 225 feet; passes through moderately fine 
bluish sand all the way down; water impotable on account of various 
salts; stands 13 feet below the surface of the ground; used for con- 
densing. 

ASSUMPTION PARISH. 

NAPOLEONVILLE. 

City waterworks. — Two wells, an 8-inch, 190 feet deep; a 6-inch, 
210 feet deep. Both said to furnish 25,000 gallons per hour; the 
smaller, and deeper, with 9-foot strainer, furnishes more water than 
the larger, with 20-foot strainer. 

Several such wells around the town furnish a similar water, i. e., 
very ferruginous, staining bath tubs and connections an orange 
yellow. 

ST. JAMES PARISH. 

St. James well. — Mr. Weasel, contractor for well drilling on the 
Texas and Pacific Railroad, says that at St. James he found good water 
at a depth of 285 feet, passing through a bed of shells (probably Rangia 
shells). 

ikk 101—04 4 



50 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 



Convent well. — Mr. C. Oley, of the Blakemore Well Drilling Com- 
pany, states that here he put a well down to the depth of 190 feet 
and procured good water. It rises and falls with the Mississippi. 



ST. MARY PARISH. 

MORGAN CITY. 



Well penetrated a very coarse gravel bed at a depth of 500 feet. 



Clendenin" gives a section of an artesian well at this place furnished 
by Doctor Simmons. It shows coarse sand and water at a depth of 

615 feet. 

Section of well at Glencoe, St. Mary Parish. 



Thickness 
in feet. 



Soil 1 

Yellow clay 11 

Quicksand 12 

Blue clay 100 

Shale 1 Undeter- 

Tough, gray clay J mined. 

Coarse sand and gravel and water at ! 



Depth in 
feet. 



1 

12 

24 

124 



615 



IBERIA PARISH. 



JEANERETTE AND VICINITY. 



MoresVs barnyard well. b — Depth, 110 feet; pipe, li-inch; flow, Feb- 
ruary 16, 1901, 7i gallons per minute; temperature, 70°. See table 
of analyses given on page 78. 

Elevation of station, 18 feet above tide; well, 13.2 feet below sta- 
tion; hence flow is about 5 feet above tide. 

MoresPs foundry well. — Depth, 700 feet. See table of analyses 
given on page 78. Section given as follows: 

Section of Moresi' s foundry well at Jeanerette, Iberia Parish. 



Clay 

Sand and gravel 

Blue and gray clay, shells, and red water. 
Gravel 



Thickness 
in feet. 


Depth in 
feet. 


40 


40 


160 


200 


460 


660 


40 


700 



"Part III, Geol. and Agric. State Exp. Sta., 1896, p. 213. 
£Rept. Geol. Survey Louisiana for 1902, p. 232. 



harkis.] WELLS IN LOUISIANA WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 



51 



Elevation, 5.5 feet below railroad station; water stands within 5 or 
6 feet of the surface; hence water is about 8 feet above tide. 

Ice factory well. — Pipe, 8-inch. Clendenin gives this well section as 
follows: 

Section of well at ice factory, Jeanerette. 



Red clay 

Mottled clay and sand 

Organic bed 

Sand and gravel 

Yellow clay 



Thickness 
in feet. 


Depth in 
feet. 


15 


15 


80 


95 


10 


105 


70 


175 


175 


350 



Flow from base of cap, 7.69 feet below railroad station or about 10.5 
feet above tide. 

Old Moresi plantation. — One mile southeast of Jeanerette; depth, 
180 feet; flows freely about 8 feet above tide; stains pipes and con- 
nections bright reddish yellow. 

S. B. Roand swell. — Three miles south of Jeanerette; depth, 420 
feet; pipe, 10-inch; water flows over the top of pipes perhaps 10 
feet above tide when wells are not pumped for a time; water seems 
good for general family use; potable; wells pumped for rice irrigation. 
This is known as the Kilgore plantation. The section is as follows: 

Section of Roane's well at Kilgore plantation, near Jeanerette, Iberia Parish. 



Depth in 

feet. 



Clay 

Gravel .„ 

Clay, full of shells. 
Gravel and sand. . . 





80 

86 

236 

420 



NEW IBERIA. 



Ice works wells. — Depth, about 230 feet; quality and quantit}^ not as 
desired for general use; pipes soon cake and clog up. 

John Emmis well. — Depth, about 260 feet; extremely ferruginous; 
not potable; rises 5 feet above the bayou at mid-stage. 

Oil well. — North of New Iberia; depth, said to be about 500 feet, 
with pockets of oil, and one "rock" 2 feet thick; good water also 
reported at a depth of about 400 feet. 

The quality of the water at the Roane well, mentioned above, is such 
as to seem to bear out ex-Mayor Moresi's statement that good water is 
to be found only at the usual depths some distance back from the 



52 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no.101. 



bayou. It is probable that the problem of furnishing New Iberia with 
good water will be solved by pumping it from a station a few miles to 
the west. Mr. Caldwell, the machinist, vouches for the statement that 
good water was found in the " Oil" well. 



ST. MARTIN PARISH. 



ST. MARTINVILLE AND VICINITY. 



Oil well.-, — About li miles northwest of St. Martinville. 

Section of oil well near St. Martinville, St. Martin Parish. 
[According to Mr. William Kennedy.] 



Clay and soil 

Fine sand 

Blue clay 

Water-bearing sand and gravel 

Tenacious clay and gravel 

Water-bearing sand and gravel 

Tenacious clay, with gravel 

Coarse sand 

Tenacious clay and gravel 

Coarse sand and gravel 



Thickness 
in feet. 


Depth in 
feet. 


40 


40 


60 


100 


40 


140 


150 


290 


25 


315 


120 


435 


200 


635 


200 


835 


150 


985 


150 


1,135 



It will be observed that two beds of water-bearing sand and gravel 
are mentioned. Doubtless other sand and gravel beds, like the lowest 
penetrated, would furnish an ample supply of water, though very 
likely to be salty. 

The Southern Pacific Railroad station is marked 25 feet above tide; 
a spirit-level line to the well shows that the floor of the derrick is 16.3 
feet above tide. For diagram of this well see PI. II. 

In an irrigation well close by the water surface stood at a height of 
11.6 feet above tide Januar}^ 13, 1903. 

Lahhe^s well. — Four miles south of St. Martinville; spirit-level line 
from St. Martinville showed surface of water to be 11.13 feet above 
tide; surface of the land 17.3 feet above tide January 11, 1903. 



BREAUX BRIDGE. 



Gilbeaux place. — Three-fourths mile west of station, on Gilbeaux 
plantation; elevation of railroad station 27.5 feet above tide; well pipe 
12 feet above tide; water said to have flowed over the top of this pipe 
when well was first put down. 



hareis.] WELLS IN LOUISIANA WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 



53 



LAFAYETTE PARISH. 



LAFAYETTE AND VICINITY. 



Waterworks wells. — We have here an instance of lack of care in 
leaving the orifice of the wells accessible, so that the wells may at any 
time be cleaned, or rather flushed, when clogged with sand. Three 
wells have been put down here in succession, because, after a few 
years, they became clogged up. The depth of the new and conse- 
quently best well was given as 226 feet. Its casing is 6 inches; screen, 
35.5 feet long. This well supplies Lafayette, besides 220,000 gallons 
to the Southern Pacific Railroad daily; height of surface of ground, 
reckoning Lafayette station as 40 feet, about 34.6 feet; water said to 
be between 20 to 25 feet below, hence about 10 or 15 feet above tide; 
when cleaned occasionally it is as good as when first put down; screen 
in very coarse gravel; C. H. Melchert, engineer in charge. 

Lafayette Compress and Storage Company' 's well. — Depth, 125 feet; 
water surface about 25 feet below surface of the ground, i. e., about 
10 feet above tide. 

ST. LANDRY PARISH. 

OPELOUSAS. 

Waterworks well.- — Depth, 184 feet; pipe, 10 inches; screen, 64 feet; 
has been pumped to the extent of 300 gallons per minute, guaranteed 
600; elevation of water in well, 22.28 feet above tide, i. e., considering 
the station as 67.5 feet, as given by the Southern Pacific Railroad. 

Section of waterworks well at Opelousas, St. Landry Parish. 



Depth in 
feet. 



Clay 

Fine sand 

Gravel to bottom of well 




83 
120 
184 



Oil Mill well. — Depth, 208 feet; pipe, 8 inches, with 40 feet of screen. 

WASHINGTON. 

Washington well. — The following section was given for the well at 
Washington: 

Section of well at Wasldnglon, St. Landry Parish. 



Quicksand 

Sand 

Gravel . . . 



Thickness 
in feet. 



18 

52 

124 



Depth in 
feet. 



18 

70 

194 



Water said to rise to within 11 feet of .surface of ground, or about 
30 feet above tide. 



54 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 



WEST BATON ROUGE PARISH. 

BATON ROUGE JUNCTION. 

Mr. Weasel says he found good water here at 160 feet. 

LOBDELL. 

The same authority just quoted says that good water is found here 
at a depth of 150 feet. The surface of the water is 21 feet below the 
general level of the ground. 

POINTE COUPEE PARISH. 

NEW ROADS. 

Mr. Weasel reports poor water at 120 feet. 

BATCHELOR. 

The same condition exists here as at New Roads. 

AVOYELLES PARISH. 



Railroad wells. — One 90, the other 112 feet deep; the water from 
both impotable. Water stands in both about 13 feet below station. 

W. D. Haas's well. — One 1-inch well, 180 feet deep, furnishes enough 
water to run four large boilers in Haas's cotton compress works; 
water stands about 10 feet below surface of ground or about 11.5 feet 
below the station. 

Gannett gives Bunkie an elevation of 66 feet. Hence water stands 
in these wells about 52 or 54 feet above tide. 



MARKSVILLE. 

Court-house well. — This well is reported to have a depth of 800 feet, 
encountering salt water. At a depth of 230 feet a 5-foot stratum of 
lignite was penetrated. Mouth of well 0.3 foot above railroad station, 
hence approximately 82 feet above tide. 

VERMILION PARISH. 

ABBEVILLE AND VICINITY. 

Court-house well. — Well about 16.6 feet above tide with section as 
follows: 

Section of well at court-house, Abbeville, Vermilion Parish. 



Thickness 
in feet. 



Depth 
in feet. 



Clay 

Fine sand 

Clay 

Hard layers of clay alternating with sand 

Coarse white sand with white pebbles 

Reddish clay and "rock" 



15 
65 
2 
57 
21 
60 



15 

80 

82 

139 

160 

220 



Harris.] WELLS IN LOUISIANA WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 



55 



The upper bed here alone furnishes water. Exact height of water 
could not be told; certainly it lacks several feet of overflowing'. 

Well 9 miles west of Abbeville. — On Mr. John Waltham's place W. 
i SE. i sec. 32, 12 S., R. 3 E., are several wells. The land is here 10 
feet above tide and the general well section, according to Mr. Moresi, 
is about as follows: 

Section of well on Waltham' s place, 9 miles west of Abbeville, Vermilion Parish. 




Depth 
in feet. 



Clay 

Gray sand 

Clay 

White sharp sand and gravel 

Even at this low level the water does not overflow. 

SHELL BEACH. 

Wells that have a feeble flow above the surface of the ground were 
heard of at this place, but were not visited. 

GUEYDAN. 

Wilkinson's well, 3 miles southwest of Gueydan. — Depth, 190 feet; 
pipe, 8-inch; flow, 8+ gallons per minute; temperature, 73°. Eleva- 
tion of flow, 6.9 feet above tide, determined by spirit-level line from 
Gueydan; bench mark on station; according to Southern Pacific Rail- 
road, 9.07 feet above tide. 

Donnelly place, 6 or 7 miles east of Gueydan. — Two 8-inch and two 
6-inch wells. Water said to rise 8 inches above the surface. 



ACADIA PARISH. 



KAYNE AND VICINITY. 



Chapuis's well. — Depth, 210 feet, with 10-foot strainer; water stands 
16 feet below surface. Elevation of station, according to Southern 
Pacific Railroad, 37.5 feet above tide, well about 2 feet below; hence, 
water in well about 19.5 feet above tide. 

Hippolite Richard's well. — This is 3 miles east-northeast of Rayne. 
Depth, 200 feet; water stands within 17.5 feet of surface. Elevation 
of surface of water in well about 20 feet above tide, based on spirit- 
level line run from Rayne to mouth of well. 



CROWLEY AND VICINITY, 



Railroad well.- — Depth, 173 feet. Water usually rises to within 5 
or 6 feet of surface. Elevation of water, about 19 feet above tide. 



56 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 

Ice factory well. — Depth, 600 feet; water unsatisfactory; pipe with- 
drawn to the usual depth, 170-180 feet. 

Long Point, 15 miles northeast of Crowley. — One 8-inch and three 
6-inch wells. Water at 180 feet; rises to within 26 feet of the surface. 

Three miles east of Crowley. — Two wells pass through log's at depth 
of 168 and 202 feet. In the first, beneath the 168-foot log, 7 feet of 
water-bearing sand was encountered, water rising to within 7 feet of 
surface. 

Sol Wrighfs well. — About 3 miles southwest of Crowley, or in 
center of sec. 19, T. 10 S., R. 1 E. ; depth, 293 feet; surface of ground, 
19.37 feet above tide; of water, 9.37 feet above tide January 29, 1903. 
Strainer, 70 feet long. 

L. J. Bowerts well.— Middle of NE. \ sec. 19; depth, 196.6 feet; 
top of pipe, 21.39 feet above tide; of water, 9.19 feet above tide. 



Water stands in this well, February 5, 1903, 10.5 feet below station; 
hence 7.5 feet above tide. 

ORIZA AND VICINITY. 

John Wendlincfs well, 1 mile southwest of Oriza. — Pipe, 6-inch; 
flow, 1.2 feet above surface; 20 gallons per minute. Elevation of 
Oriza (Southern Pacific Railroad), 21 feet above tide. By spirit-level 
line, top well is 11.1 feet above tide. 

D. J. Scanliii's well, 2 miles southwest of Oriza. — Elevation of sur- 
face of water, 12.2 feet above tide; line from Oriza. 

F. ScanlirCs well, 2 miles south-southwest of Oriza. — Elevation of 
surface of water, 12 feet above tide; leveled from Oriza. 

CALCASIEU PARISH. 

It is in the eastern half of this parish that perhaps two-thirds of all 
the large irrigation wells of southwestern Louisiana are located. Not 
that this particular area is better adapted to the growing of rice than 
many other sections of southern Louisiana, but by a glance at any 
map of this part of the State it will be seen that east Calcasieu has 
comparatively few large rivers, creeks, or bayous from which water 
may be had for irrigation purposes. The result is that here are found 
the most advanced methods of sinking wells and lifting the water 
from them. 

It is entirely out of the question to refer to even a tenth part of the 
wells now in operation in this section; of late years their number has 
gone up into the hundreds, and will soon reach a thousand or more. 
A few statistics regarding some of these wells will show the general 
characters of all of them. Welsh may be taken as the central point 
of interest in deep-well activity. 



haeris.] WELLS IN LOUISIANA WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 



57 



WELSH AND VICINITY. 



E. L. Solver's well. — About one-half mile northeast of Welsh, cen- 
ter of sec. 30, called in the last report of the Geological Survey of 
Louisiana (1902) "E. L. Brown's well;" depth, 130 feet; pipe, 8 inches; 
strainer, 38 feet; surface of water above tide February 26, 1901, 16.68 
feet; March 21, 1903, 13.92; July 13, 1.18 feet. The section shows 
clay to 65 feet and sand, growing- coarser below, to 130 feet. 

Mr. Bower has recently put down another well 92 feet north of 
this well; it has a 10-inch casing, is 175 feet deep, and has a 56-foot 
strainer. From top of pipe to water surface, March 21, 1903, 6.73 
feet of the water stood 13.26 above tide; July 13, 1903, 0.5 foot 
above tide. 

Cooper's well, i mile east of Welsh. — The section shows clay to 90 
feet, coarse sand, clay, sand, and finally blue sand at a depth of 
140-115 feet. 

Field's well, f mile east of station. — The section shows clay to 90 
feet; sand, clay, coarse below, to 161 feet. 

Welsh planing mill well. — Pipe, 3 inches; top of pipe, 20.33 feet; 
surface of water, March 19, 13.86 feet; March 21, 13.93 feet above 

tide. 

Section of well at Welsh planing mill, Welsh, Calcasieu Parish. 



Clay 

Sand 

Clay 

Coarse, light sand 



Thickness 
in feet. 



12 

4 

182 

40 



Depth in 

feet. 



12 

16 
198 
238 



S. i?. May's well, i mile north of station. — Top of flume 20.3 feet 
above tide, of water; March 19, 1903, 14.3 feet; March 21, 15.16 feet; 
July 12, 1903, 0.8 foot above tide; Juty 13, after pump had been 
working 1 hour, but had stopped 5 minutes before the measurement 
was taken, 1.7 foot above tide; same conditions except pump had been 
stopped for about 20 minutes, 1.1 foot above tide; lowest level in 1902 
said to be —8 feet; depth, 190 feet; pipe, 8 inches; temperature 
of water, 71.5° F. ; supplies 1,200 gallons per minute when pumped 
by a 20-horsepower Erie engine. 

Abhofs well, 2 miles southeast of Welsh. — Elevation of water surf ace, 
February 26, 1901, 16.42 feet above tide; that is, 7.08 feet below the 
railroad station. 

Herald' 1 s well, perhaps 1\ miles east- southeast of the station. — Eleva- 
tion of water, February 26, 1901, 16.6 feet above tide, or 6.9 feet 
below the railroad station. 



58 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. id. 

Well 9 miles north-northwest of Welsh. — The section shows clay to 
192 feet and sand to 235 feet. 

LAKE ARTHUR. 

Wells at mills reported as flowing' 5 feet above tide. 

R. E. Camp's well, 1\ miles northwest of Lake Arthur. — Southeast \ 
sec. 8, 11 S, 3 W.; depth, 215.7 feet, water-bearing sand 40 feet thick; 
elevation of top of pipe as determined by a spirit-level line from the 
lake, 17.5 feet above tide; elevation of water surface, 8 feet above tide. 

JENNINGS AND VICINITY. 

Andersons wells, about 1 mile west-southwest of Jennings. — Three 10- 
inch wells, connected to a 14-inch main and pumped with a 50 horse- 
power engine. Depth, approximately, 300 feet; wells about 20 feet 
apart, furnishing, with engine running at perhaps half -rated power, 
1,800 gallons per minute. 

These wells are furnishing now (1903) about half as much water as 
they did last year owing to clogging of the strainer with fine sand. 
The fireman at the plant says the 150-foot well, about 50 feet north 
of the three, is capable of furnishing nearly as much as these three 
are furnishing now. Though so various in depth, when the deeper 
wells are pumped, the amount obtainable from the shallower one is 
materially diminished. 

Carey' s wells.— In this same vicinity are the three Carey wells, a 
general log of which is herewith given: 

General section of three wells near Jennings, La. 





Thickness 
in feet. 


Depth in 
feet. 


Clay, with shells at about 50 feet, and with vegetable matter 
and a log below 


xl5 
45 
20 
50 
30 


115 


Quicksand above, gravelly below 

Bluish, sandy gravel 


160 
180 


Sandv clav 


230 


Gravel 


260 







City waterworks well. — When measured, March 19, 1903, the water 
in this new well stood 18 feet below the mouth of the pipe or, perhaps, 
12 feet above tide. The capacity of the tank is 65,000 gallons. The 
engineer informed us that the well seemed to lower none while the 
tank was being filled, the operation lasting about three hours. 

Well 3 miles east-southeast of Jennings. — This well was being sunk 
on February 24, 1900, by the Brechner outfit. The beds penetrated 
showed reddish, j^ellow, and gray mottled clay for 30 feet, becoming 



U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEV 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 101 PL. VI 




A. ARTESIAN WELL OF BRADLEY AND RAMSAY LUMBER COMPANY, 1 MILE 
NORTH OF LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA. 

Flow in March, 1901, 210 gallons a minute. 




B. SCREEN WOUND AT THE MORESI BROTHERS' SHOP, JEANERETTE, LA. 



haeeis.] WELLS IN LOUISIANA WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 59 

less tenacious, with fossil fragments, Rangia, Helix, Balanus, etc., 
until a depth of 90 feet was reached, when blue sand, with thickness 
undetermined, was struck. 

KINDER AND VICINITY. 

McRUVs well, 1 mile north of Kinder. — Depth, 150 feet; elevation 
of water surface as determined by leveling, from Kinder Station, 
March 8, 1902, 27.1 feet above tide, assuming that the station is 49.3 
feet above tide. 

Tillotson's well. — Depth, 138 feet; depth of water from top of pipe, 
21 feet, 10 inches; temperature, 68° F.; elevation of water surface 
March 7, 1902, 25.4 feet above tide. 



McRimey's wells. — A number of wells in this vicinity, ranging in 
depth from 140 to 175 feet and in size from 6 inches to 8 inches, in 
which water rises to within 14 to 23 feet of surface, depending on local 
topography. 

OBERLIN. 

Mr. Dennis Moore says that the railroad tank well is 190 feet in 
depth, and that water rises to within 10 feet of the surface, or about 
60 feet above tide. 

In general the water level would probably be somewhat lower than 
this. No hopes can be entertained of obtaining a flowing well at this 
comparatively shallow depth: 

LAKE CHARLES. 

Well 1 mile north of lake. — The Bradley and Ramsay Lumber 
Company's well, about 500 feet deep, has the greatest flow of any 
well measured in the State, 210 gallons per minute; pipe, 6 inches. 
See analysis given below. (See PI. VI, A, for view at well.) Ele- 
vation, 10.5 feet above tide. Based on tide gage reading at Lake 
Charles, by G. D. Harris. 

Reiser's machine-shop well. — The following is a section of the well: 

Section at well at Reiser's machine shop, near Lake Charles. 



Sand 

Red sand with pebbles 

Gray sand and clay alternating. 



Thickness 
in feet. 



96 

6 

98 



Depth in 
feet. 



102 
200 



60 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 

Water with iron taste. See analysis given below. Elevation of 
well about 13 feet; known to flow to 17 feet and said to have flowed 
to 27 feet above tide. 

Judge Miller's well. — Pressure of 5.25 pounds per square inch; flows 
12 gallons per minute. Elevation of present flow, 12.72 feet above 
tide; would flow at 21.79 feet above tide. 

WEST LAKE. 

Perkins and Miller Lumber Company's well. — Pipe, 1 inches; eleva- 
tion of flow, 10 feet above tide, and would doubtless flow to 16 feet or 
more above tide. 

Well 3 miles northwest of lake. — Pipe, 8 inches. Following- is a 
partial section of this well: 

Partial section of well at iVest Lake, Calcasieu Parish. 

Feet. 

Hard clay between 250-350 

Shells 300 

Gravel 360 

This is a very strong flowing well. 

RAPIDES PARISH. 

BLOWING WELLS. 

It would doubtless be an unpardonable omission, if in enumerating 
the various classes of wells in southern Louisiana, with their depths, 
kinds of water, and other characteristics, no mention were made of 
the " blowing" wells of Rapides Parish, that have attracted much 
attention, at least locally. 

Judge Blackman, of Alexandria, has frequently called attention to 
a certain well of this character, and has recently sent, through Mr. 
Kennedy, of the Southern Pacific geological survey, a clipping from 
the Alexandria Town Talk, of September 19, 1903, relating to this 
subject. 

Though Judge Blackman knows of two other wells having similar 
characteristics, the one best known is located on the farm of Mr. 
Frank Melder, Melder post-office, between Spring Creek and Calca- 
sieu River, 2 miles east of the river, and 3 miles east of Strothers 
Crossing, on the Calcasieu. 

It was in 1892 that Mr. Frank Melder started to bore a 12-inch well, but had to 
give it up after reaching a depth of 80 feet. The air would come rushing from the 
well, sometimes for a period of three or four days, and again at shorter periods. 
When the air was not rushing from the well, it would turn the other way and be 
sucked into the well with great force * * * The force of the air coming from the 
well would keep a man's hat suspended over it. 

In boring the well a stratum of about 1 foot of pipe clay was penetrated, and for 
the remainder of the distance, over 75 feet, a bed of yellow sand was penetrated. 



haeris.] VARIATIONS IN SOUTH LOUISIANA WELLS. 61 

While boring it was discovered that every foot deeper the well was sunk, the harder 
the air would blow from it. When the well was first completed, it would blow a 
day and then air, would be sucked in for a day. No water ever appeared in the well 
at any period. 

The subject of "blowing* wells" has been discussed in Water-Supply 
and Irrigation Paper No. 29, by Mr. Barbour. a He attributes such 
phenomena, doubtless correct^, to changes of atmospheric pressure 
at the surface of the earth. Those interested in this subject will find, 
without doubt, that when the wells are "blowing," the barometer 
reading as recorded by the nearest weather station is low; when the 
wells are "sucking in," the barometer is rising. 

It seems from the above statement regarding the section of the 
Melder well that its great capabilities as a "blowing" well are due 
to the absence of water between the grains of sand. 

When such interstices are mainly filled with water, as is usually the 
case, the phenomenon of "blowing" is much less noticeable. 

VARIATION IN FLOW AND PRESSURE HEAD SHOWN BY 
WELLS IN SOUTH LOUISIANA. 

WELLS EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 

As a result of investigations already carried on, it is safe to say that 
the total amount of water obtained from deep and artesian wells in 
this part of the State north of Lake Pontchartrain does not exceed 
3,000 gallons per minute. South of the lake, in the city of New 
Orleans, there are a number of 6-inch wells, but they are pumped so 
irregularly, both as to time and amount, and are so "connected up," 
that no safe estimate can be given as to their total yield. The water- 
bearing sands, ranging from 600 to 900 feet below the surface through- 
out the city, have been penetrated in so many places that the water 
rarely overflows from these wells. All admit that the head has been 
gradually lowered somewhat in proportion to the number of new wells 
put down. (For a record of the present stand of the waters in these 
wells, see pp. 4A-4*I.) 

There seems to have been a slight decline in the waters of the 
Mandeville region, if we may trust occasional measurements, }^et by 
referring to the data presented under Mandeville (p. 37), it will be 
seen that some of the important wells are flowing now almost as much 
as two years ago. Some have become practically clogged up and of 
little or no value. The presumption is that, were new wells put 
down or were those now in existence occasionally flushed, the supply 
would be as great as ever from each well. Very few new wells have 
been put down in this vicinity during recent years. 

a Barbour, E. H., Wells and windmills in Nebraska: Water-Sup. and Irr. Paper No. 29, U. S. Geol. 
Survey, 1899, pp. 78-82. 



62 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 

About Covington the new wells seem to show the same head as those 
put down two or more years showed at that time. Here, too, there is 
a suspicion that the marked falling off of head in several of the wells 
is to be accounted for by the clogging of the pipes. 

At Abita Springs it has been noticed that the flowing of the last new 
large well put down decreases to a marked extent the head in the wells 
close by, especially to the south and west. Some of the better wells, 
however, have shown an increase rather than a decrease, so that with 
care in properly spacing the wells and judgment in using the water 
no one need expect to be obliged to resort to pumping for a long time 
to come. 

At Hammond the better wells have shown no decrease of flow or 
pressure head for the last two years, even though their number has 
greatly increased during this interval. 

When the extent of catchment area is taken into account, reaching, 
as it must, northward as far as Crystal Springs, Miss., and when the 
total amount of waters obtained from deep sources in this section of 
the State is considered, it is no wonder that there seems to be no 
general variation in flow or pressure head thus far recorded. Two 
moderate-sized rice plantations in southwest Louisiana would call for 
more water during the summer months than flows from all these wells 
combined. Until irrigation is practiced far more generally in this 
section of the country there will probably be no marked decline in the 
flow of the carefully constructed artesian and deep wells. 

WELLS WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 

The statement is often made that the wells along the Mississippi 
and in the alluvial or delta region to the west vary as to head accord- 
ing to the different stages of the river. In the lowest regions, close 
to the river channel, this probably means that when the river is very 
high, held far above the wells by the great levee system, some of the 
river water gradually seeps through the intervening soils and enters 
the wells. Many instances are on record of the pressure of the river 
water becoming so great as to cause a spring to burst forth from the 
ground several hundred yards from the river's border. When such 
waters are welled up to a height corresponding to that of the surface 
of the river, they cease to flow. 

However, if it is assumed that the motion of most underground 
waters is but a few feet a day, or only a mile or two a year, it is 
evident that the underground transmission of water from the Missis- 
sippi eastward, westward, or Gulfward is not sufficiently rapid to be 
detected and correlated with stages of the river except for a distance 
of a few hundreds j^ards from the channel. 

It is obvious, however, that there may be a transmission of pressure, 
affecting the flow of wells more promptly and at a greater distance 



HARRIS.] 



VARIATIONS IN SOUTH LOUISIANA WELLS. 



63 



than would the actual translation of the water itself. Data touching 
upon this interesting question are in the delta region unfortunately 
lacking, and this for two reasons: (1) Since the water there obtained 
from wells is usually of poor qualit} r , their number is not great, and 
(2) when they are put down they are nearly always on the bank of 
some navigable bayou where the villages and sugarhouses are to be 
found. The fluctuations of such wells may be due, as explained 
above, mainly to the lateral transmission of river or bayou water, and 
not to the simple transmission of pressure. 

Wells farther west, some distance from the Mississippi and its 
distributaries, show, as will be seen below, no appreciable effect of 
transmission of either water or pressure from the Mississippi- 
No observations continuing throughout the whole year have been 
made, so far as the writer is aware, of the height of water in the vari- 
ous deep wells in the southwest part of the State. As explained in the 
prefatory notice to this paper, the facts upon which this report is based 
were collected by the writer during the winter months, while engaged 
in general work of the State geological survey. However, several 
short series of observations have been made, covering intervals in three 
successive } T ears. In 1901 Mr. Pacheco, of the State survey, was kept 
in the field nearly two months for the sole purpose of making such 
observations. The results of his observations, as published by the 
State survey, are as follows: 

Variation of 'height of water in Hammill's well, 2\ miles south of station, Jennings, La. 



1901. 


Hour. 


Feet. 


Inches. 


1901. 


Hour. 


Feet. 


Inches. 


Feb. 21 




13 


4.0 


Apr. 29 


a. in. 


13 


7.2 


Apr. 20 
21 




13 


9.5 


p.m. 
a. m. 


13 


7.0 


a. m. 


13 


9.0 


30 


13 


7.16 




p. m. 


13 


8.5 




p. m. 


13 


7.12 


22 


9 a. in. 


13 


7.25 


May 1 


2 p. HI. 


13 


7.0 




11 a. in. 


13 


7.0 




4 p. m. 


13 


6.9 




12 m. 


13 


6.9 




5 p. m. 


13 


6.8 




2 p. in. 

3 p. m. 
5 p. in. 


13 
13 
13 


6.87 
6.75 
6.75 


5 
6 




13 


7.75 
7.75 


r a. m. 

1 p. m. 


24 
25 
26 

27 

28 




13 
13 
13 
13 
13 
13 
13 


8.75 

8.0 

8.33 

8.25 

8.5 

8.4 

7.0 


14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
20 




13 
13 

13 
14 
14 
14 
mm p. 


10. 25 
11.0 

11.75 
0. 125 
2.0 
2.0 






a. m. 
p. m. 

10 a. m. 

11 a. m. 










Water drc 


>pped below ] 





64 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 

Variation of height of water in Lawson's well, 1 mile east of station, Jennings, La. 



1901. 


Hour. 


Feet. 


Inches. 


1901. 


Hour. 


Feet. 


Inches. 


Apr. 21 

22 

23 
24 
25 
26 

27 
28 
29 

30 
May 1 

2 


10 a. m. 
6 p. m. 
8 a. ni. 

6 p. m. 
8-11 a.m. 

p. m. 

7 a. m. 
a. m. 
p. m. 


6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 

6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 


5. 75 

4.12 

4.0 

3.9 

4.0 

4.37 

4.2 

4.37 

4.33 

4.75 

5.33 

5.8 

5.75 

5.66 

6.0 

6.12 

6.12 

6.12 


May 2 

5 

6 

18 
19 
20 
22 
24 

1902. 

Feb. 22 
23 
25 
26 
27 

Mar. 11 
13 


10 a. m. 

3 p. m. 

3.30 p.m. 

6 p. m. 


6 

6 

6 

6 

6 

7, 

7 

7 

8 

8 

7 
7 
7 
7 
7 
7 
7 


6.25 

7.25 

7.0 

6.8 

6.83 

5.25 

3.5 

2.87 

10.25 
10. 25 
9.75 
8.5 
8.25 
9.25 
9. 125 










/ 9 a. m.- 

\ .4 p. in. 

8 a. m. 
2 p. m. 
6 p. in. 










9 a. m. 

11a. m. 

8 a. m. 











Variation of height of water in Bower' 's well, Welsh, La. 



1901. 


Hour. 


Feet. 


Inches. 


1901. 


Hour. 


Feet. 


Inches. 


Feb. 26 

Mar. 21 

Apr. 20 

23 

24 

May 3 

5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 




4 
4 
4, 
4 
4 
4 
4 
4 
4 
4 
4 
4 
4 
4 
4 
4 


6.0 

3.0 

1,25 

1.5 

1.4 

1.5 

1.6 

1.75 

1.75 

2.0 

2.0 

1.75 

2.12 

2.12 

2.12 

2.25 


May 12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
25 
26 
28 
30 




4 
4 

4 
4 
4 
4 
4 
4 
4 
4 
4 
4 
4 
5 
5 


2.5 

2.75 

2.75 

3.5 

3.75 

3.75 

4.0 

4.25 

4.5 

5.0 

5.0 

7.0 

9.0 

5.0 

9.0 














8 a. m. 

10 a. m. 

11 a. in. 
12 m. 











































Harris] VAKIATIONS IN" SOUTH LOUISIANA. WELLS. 

Variation of heighth of ivater in Hawkey e rice mill well, Fenton, La. 



65 



1901. 


Hour. 


Feet. 


Inches. 


1902. 


Hour. 


Feet. 


Inches. 


Mar. 31 
May 5 




14 
15 


10 


Mar. 7 

8 




18 
18 


3 
2 











It will be observed that in these measurements the numbers under 
feet and inches indicate distances downward from some datum plane, 
generally the top of the casing or the floor of the discharge trough. 
As the season advances, the surface of the water in the wells gradually 
lowers. The rate of lowering is not constant, but the total result of 
the various fluctuations is to materially lower the water surface as 
summer approaches. The noticeable acceleration in the rate of lower- 
ing after May 15 is due to the beginning of pumping for rice irriga- 
tion. Perhaps there is nothing new or unexpected in these results 
thus far. The variations shown throughout different hours of the day 
are much more difficult of explanation. Very possibly, though, care- 
fully kept barometric readings would give a clew to their meaning. 

By far the most interesting and unexpected variations are those of 
about April 22, 1901, and February 25 to 27, 1902. Instead of the 
gradual downward course, there is indicated for these dates a notice- 
able rise. The Weather Bureau reports show that heavy showers 
were abundant on the 16th, 17th, and 18th of April, 1901, in this part 
of the State, and from the 19th to the 26th of February, 1902. 

Again, these same tendencies toward a lowering in summer and a 
quick response to local showers has been observed this } 7 ear (1903), as 
is shown by the following table: 



Date. 


May 
well. 


Rice Planing- 
mill. mill. 


Bower's wells. 


North. 


South. 


Mar. 19 

21.... 

25.... 

July 12.... 

13.... 


Feet. 
6.00 
5.14 
5.85 
19.5 
19.2 


Feet. Feet. 

! 6.4 

! 6.33 

6. 70 ; 6. 50 

18.8 


Feet. 


Feet. 


6.73 

6.87 
19.5 


6.26 
6.63 


I 







Over 2 inches of rain fell on the 19th and 20th of March in this 
vicinity, and from the changes in level noted in the foregoing tables 
for previous years it is only to be expected that these wells would 
show a similar change for a similar cause. Observe especially in the 
May well how the water level rose on the 21st, but went back again on 
irr 101—04 5 



66 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 

the 25th. Notice, too, the effect of the summer with its pumping sea- 
son, under July 12. 

The marked effect of copious showers on the water level in the 
deep wells of southwestern Louisiana has not escaped the general 
observation of planters." 

The extent to which very local heav^ showers affect the territory 
just without their limits is an interesting topic that thus far has not 
been investigated, nor have time and circumstances permitted the 
observation of effects produced by local or extensive rainfall in dif- 
ferent directions from any given well or group of wells, though the 
importance of such observations, when a full explanation of the occur- 
rence and conditions of the underground waters of this part of the 
State is attempted, can not be too much emphasized. 

From what has already been said, it is evident that in some respects 
the waters of this section behave like the common "ground water" of 
this or any other well-watered land; but that, ordinarily, there is no 
very direct connection between the water of these deep wells and the 
ordinary soil supply is evident from the fact that at a number of places 
the deep waters flow several feet above the surface of the soil for miles 
around; and, again, the water in the casing of the deep wells never, so 
far as observed, stands at the same level as the water in the pit out- 
side. Again, the supply of deep water is not obtained until one or, 
more generally, several, thick, impervious layers of clay have been 
penetrated. 

Since the thickness and character of the sand and clay beds encoun- 
tered in sinking wells but a short distance from one another ma}^ vary 
greatly, and since the position of a clay bed in one well may be taken by. 
a sand bed in another it is very evident that, in southern Louisiana, the 
artesian and deep-well conditions are somewhat different from those 
encountered in regions where there is one great extensive underlying 
formation, sharply defined from overlying and underlying beds, and 
alone transmitting the deep underground flow. Yet some t} r pical or 
ideal artesian features are represented in this part of the State. The 
first hundred or two hundred feet passed through in sinking deep 
wells contains comparatively few very porous layers; below, the sand 
usually becomes coarser, and sometimes thick beds of gravel are 
found. Gravel deposits are by no means uncommon to a depth of 
1,000 feet, as will be seen by inspecting the logs of the wells put down 
in search for oil or deep artesian water and published herewith as 
PL II. Very coarse gravel is reported in the bottom of many of the 
best water wells throughout the Gulf border. As will be seen by 
referring to the record of a well just completed in Biloxi, Miss., the 
casing, over 900 feet down, is in extremely coarse gravel (see p. 31). 

"For remarks on this point, see Kept. Geol. Survey Louisiana for 1902, p. 246. 



haeris.] VAKIATIONS IN SOUTH LOUISIANA WELLS. 67 

Water naturally Hows much more readily through coarse thari 
through fine material. The best flowing or deep wells of southwest 
Louisiana obtain their waters from very coarse sand or gravel beds. 
Such beds are generally below 150 or 200 feet from the surface. 
Ground-water features or characteristics decrease in this region down- 
ward, according as those more typically artesian increase. 

There is one more somewhat interesting fact connected with varia- 
tion in pressure head as noticed in the Ma}^ well at Welsh, though 
probably it is common to all others in this part of the State. On the 
12th of July no pumping was done, and from all appearances none 
had been done for several days. At 5 o'clock in the evening the water 
stood 19.5 feet below the top of the mouth of the casing. Next morn- 
ing the pump had run but an hour when, at the writer's request, it 
was stopped in order that the stage of the water might be measured. 
The surface of the water, after dropping suddenly, balanced up and 
down for a moment and then appeared to have come to rest. Five 
minutes after the pump had ceased working, the water stood 18.6 feet 
below the mouth of the casing. After the pump had been stopped for 
twent} r minutes the water stood at 19.2 below the same datum plane. 
It thus appears that the pumping, which was equivalent to a flow of 
1,200 gallons per minute, or 72,000 gallons per hour, had not in one 
hour's time material^ lowered the water level — in fact, had actually 
raised it temporarily. 

That long-continued pumping does lower the level of the water in 
wells is understood by all who are connected with deep-water supplies. 
For example, in July, 1903, Mr. Roanes's place was visited, and, 
although under ordinaiy circumstances his wells are flowing, at that 
time, owing to several hours of intermittent pumping, continuing for 
a period of several days, the water stood just below the tops of the 
pipes. 

The Fabacher well in New Orleans (see p. 44), which ordinarily flows 
continuously from a 4-inch pipe but 2 feet or less above the general 
level of the ground, will, if suddenly turned into a smaller pipe, rise up 
and overflow for a few minutes to a height of 11 or 11.5 feet above 
the ground. Then the water gradually descends to a permanent head 
of about 10 feet above the ground. The cause of the temporary, 
unusually high head in the above-mentioned cases is doubtless attrib- 
utable to the momentum of the water in the porous sand or gravel bed 
below. What seems worthy of special note is the length of time 
required for the water to descend to its normal head, especially in the 
case of wells that have just been pumped. 



68 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no.101. 

WELL DRILLING AND PUMPING. 

METHODS OF DRILLING. 

In southern Louisiana practically but one method is used in sinking 
wells, either for water or oil. This consists primarily of loosening 
the earth with a hollow revolving bit and bringing it to the surface 
by the upward current of water obtained by forcing water down 
through the hollow bit. There are, to be sure, many different devices 
for producing the necessary rotating motion, man}^ different^ shaped 
bits, and many different sized and shaped derricks used; but the fun- 
damental principle of drilling is the same with all. 

Preferences as to kind and size of well desired differ considerably in 
different localities. East of the Mississippi and north of Lake Pont- 
chartrain most of the wells are furnished with a 2-inch casing, and 
the water is expected to flow at the surface of the ground or even 
some feet above. The wells are used for dairy or ordinary household 
purposes. West of the delta region the wells are usually 6, 8, 10, or 
12 inches in diameter, the water is not expected to rise to the surface, 
and irrigation is the main object for which the wells are put down. 
As a result of the number, kind, and size of wells required in different 
sections of the State, methods of drilling varying somewhat in detail 
are resorted to by local drillers. 

JETTING. 

Fig. 10 shows what is usually called the jetting process. The trac- 
tion engine furnishes steam to run the small force pump (A), which 
obtains water from a local source and pumps it through a strong hose 
(B) to the drill pipe (C). The rotating of the pipe with bit attached 
is here accomplished by the simple method of temporarily attaching a 
Stiison wrench (H) and moving it to and fro. The pipe carrying the 
downward current of water with the bit is held up by a block (D) and 
ropes (E) and is moved up and down every few seconds by power from 
the engine transmitted hj a rope and the force of gravity. The 
rope going to the engine in this case simply passed over a drum or 
large spool about 6 inches in diameter, on the outer end of the fly- 
wheel shaft. Two or three turns onty were made around this drum, 
and when no work was required of the rope the engine continued 
turning, but the coils were allowed to slip loosely on the drum. By 
tightening the coils the drill pipe was immediatel) r raised. The drill 
pipe in this instance is about li inches in diameter, while the casing 
is about 2i inches. The casing is sunk nearly as far. as the drill has 
penetrated, and the return water, laden with drillings, comes up be- 
tween the pipes. Its exit is shown at F. 



HARRIS.] 



WELL DRILLING AND PUMPING. 



69 



By turning back and forth on the long-handled wrench at K the 
casing is loosened from the outside sand and clay and ordinarily readily 
descends by its own weight about as rapidly as the jet clears the way, 
but in some instances is forced down by driving. 




Fig. 10. — Portion of well-drilling outfit of Bacon and Gamble, sinking a well at Ponchatoula by 

the jetting process. 

As the drill descends and the swivel coupling (G) approaches the top 
of the casing, the coupling is unscrewed and another length of drill 
pipe, 12 to 20 feet long, is put in, and the drilling is continued. 



ROTARY. PROCESS. 



Where many wells of large diameter are to be put down, as in the 
southwestern part of the State, much of the manual labor required by 
the above-described process is done away with by the use of a mechan- 



70 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 

ism for rotating the pipe by steam power. This method is substan- 
tially as follows : a 

A long pit, perhaps 10 feet wide by 20 long, is dug or scraped for a temporary res- 
ervoir. This is divided into two compartments, connected, however, in one or two 
places. 

The derrick having been erected and engine placed, a 3-inch pipe with a broad 
bit attached to one end is hoisted up by rope and drum, and the water hose, of equal 
size, is attached to the upper end. By a simple device, this pipe is rotated by power 
from the engine while water is pumped from the pit just described through the hose, 
down the pipe into the ground. As the pipe descends, the matter disengaged by the 
bit is washed out and brought to the surface by the jet. When the pipe, say 12 feet 
long, is sunk into the ground nearly its whole length, another section from 12 to 20 
feet long is attached and the rotating and pumping is continued till it too is sunk 
almost to the surface of the ground. And so the 3-inch pipe is put down till, by the 
appearance of the sand or the feeling of the pipe when rotated, there is an indication 
that the water-bearing sand is reached. 

Mention should be made here of the care shown in one of the compartments of 
the pit or pool referred to above, to see that plenty of earth or clay is mixed with 
the water just before it is pumped through the hose into the pipe. The pressure 
from the engine pumps is sufficient to force this muddy water into the sandy layers 
and cause them to stand firmly and not cave as they would be sure to do if only clear 
water was used. It usually occupies the attention of one man to keep the ingoing 
waters well stirred up and turbid. The other compartment of the pit contains that 
portion of the water that has just come out from the well, hence contains the dril- 
lings, if such they may be called, derived from the well. The same water as it flows 
into the first compartment is again used after being properly roiled or mixed with 
soil. 

After the desired depth has been attained, the 3-inch pipe is removed, section by 
section, and the 6-inch, 10-inch, or 12-inch casing is hoisted up and sunk into the 
hole made by the 3-inch pipe and its arrow-head bit. The hole is often nearly 14 
inches in diameter. 

The first one, two, or three sections of this large pipe or ' ' casing ' ' are perforated 
and form the strainer, near the bottom of the completed well. If the strainer is to 
be three lengths long, say 60 feet, care is taken to insert in the casing three lengths of 
3-inch pipe and to fill the space between this inner and the outside pipe with shav- 
ings so that it can not fill with earthy matter while descending. Length after length 
of casing is screwed on and lowered until the desired amount is sunk into the ground. 
In case it does not descend readily of its own accord, resort is had to rotating the 
casing by machinery precisely as the 3-inch pipe was rotated in the beginning. The 
lower margin of the casing is cut with points like saw teeth, so that it answers fairly 
well as a drill or auger. & The upper end of the 3-inch pipe within carries a conical 
sleeve, so that it can be caught readily by the thread end of other lengths that are 
lowered afterwards and coupled up with the three lengths already spoken of as being 
in the strainer part of the casing. The shavings can now be jettied out, the interior 
pipe withdrawn, and the well "pumped" to withdraw all the muddy impurities 
forced down while drilling, as well as fine sand that might eventually fill up the 
strainer. 

One of the most satisfactoiy methods of drilling is by^ portable out- 
fits, in which the derrick, traction and dumnry engines, pumps, etc., 

"Harris, G. D., and Pacheco, J., The subterranean waters of Louisiana: Rept. Geol. Survey Louisiana 
for 1902, pt. 6, Special Report No. 6, pp. 236-238. 
bBond, Frank, Irrigation of rice in the United States: U. S. Dept. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. No. 113, p. 47. 



U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEV 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 101 PL. VII 




4. MAY PUMPING PLANT, WELSH, LA. 
Snows general appearance of small stations throughout the ri-ce district of southwestern Louisiana. 



■""—- "— -— 










■ ^J— - 


T"^ 










■■ 


..... 






f V 






': 3§g* ; , ; 5 




V 





P* is- ■ 


F . £ 


"7 /] 


saiw - 


WtT*' 


4 




' i' 


k lfcp»ss 


|M. *>**>; ': 


LgR/f"" 






' -ft, T - 




tav^ * 












^Bfc^. 


Jfe. ^^1 








' " I"-' v 







J3. PUMPING FROM A 12-INCH WELL ON THE FARM OF A. E. LEE, 8 MILES 
NORTHWEST OF CROWLEY, LA. 



haeris.] WELL DRILLING AND PUMPING. 71 

are loaded on special carriages. The lightness of this rig and the 
consequent facility with which it can be moved from place to place 
tend to make it popular in regions where depths no greater than 300 
feet are to be drilled. For various styles of light derricks see the State 
survey report already referred to (Pis. XLII and XLIII). 

If it is expected that drilling will be carried to a depth of 500 or 
1,000 feet, larger, stronger outfits are called for. The great advantage 
of the taller form of derrick is that in hoisting the drill pipe or casing, 
whenever necessaiw, it can be uncoupled two lengths at a time instead 
of length by length, so that nearly half the labor required to remove 
or replace the pipe is thus avoided. 

Oil wells that reach depths of 1,000, 2,000, or even 3,000 feet are put 
down by similar but heavier outfits. The derrick is sufficiently high 
to allow the pipes and casing' to be removed three lengths at a time. 

SCREENS. 

Nearly every driller has his own ideas as to the proper manner of 
treating or placing the lower end of the casing so that a well may have 
a f ree inflow of water and at the same time may not be liable to clog 
up. Many assert that all ordinary screens are liable to give out and 
ruin the wells they are in. No screen at all is most satisfactory if the 
lower end of the pipe is set in very coarse gravel with no mixture of 
clay or fine sand. Some advocate the pumping out of several tons of 
finer material from around the bottom of the pipe and the forcing 
down, in its stead, of several wagonloads of gravel, so as to make a 
pebble screen. 

As a rule, however, some kind of metallic screen is used. Mr. 
Bond, in the bulletin referred to above, thus describes a common type 
in use in southwestern Louisiana: 

In the screens now generally used perforations in the well casing are three-fourths 
to seven-eighths of an inch in diameter, and the distance between centers averages 
about 1J inch, the perforated portion being, carefully wound with galvanized- iron 
wire. On 10-inch pipe No. 14 wire is wound nine wires to the inch; on 18-inch 
pipe No. 16 wire is wound eleven wires to the inch; on 6-inch pipe No. 17 wire is 
wound fourteen wires to the inch. A common machine-shop lathe is used for wind- 
ing the wire upon the casing, and the wire is not only wound on tightly, but is 
soldered in place to prevent its sliding, so as to close openings between strands. 
Seven rows of solder are placed upon a 10-inch pipe, the number increasing with 
larger pipe and decreasing with smaller pipe. 

Fig. 11 is taken from Bond's work, and represents the casing, holes, 
wire, rows of solder as he has just described them. 

PL VI, B, shows a different method of constructing a screen. The 
wires are wound much farther apart than in the type above described. 
Over the wires is placed fine brass gauze. The pipe is then wound 



72 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 



II • •> • • II 

• i_jk • mj*_ m it 
irrf iFim fi 



again over the gauze in the opposite oblique direction. The outside 
coarse wire is mainly to protect the brass gauze, while the inner coarse 
wire is to hold the same from fitting down tight 
upon the exterior of the pipe, thus shutting out 
all ingress of water except immediately over the 
bored holes. 

Machinists very quickly find it to their advan- 
tage to have three to five strands winding at once, 
side by side, not simply one at a time, as repre- 
sented in Bond's figure. 

The lower end of these pipes is generally closed 
by a ball valve that is so constructed as to allow 
the jet of water to pass down and out, but imme- 
diately closes against any pressure from below. 
This is to prevent the entrance of line sand or 
other foreign substance. 

PUMPING. 

As would naturally be supposed, water is 
pumped from deep wells of southwestern Louisi- 
ana by steam power. Formerly the fuel used 
on method for generating steam was wood from the nearby 
of constructing a screen, lowlands or banks of the bayous or coal brought 
from Alabama or Kansas City hy rail. 'Since the discovery of oil in 
such quantities at Beaumont, Tex. , nearly all the pumping plants have 




h^i/L^i^v^i^vvv 




Fig. 12. — Common form of rotary pump. Van Wie model. - 

erected tanks at an elevation of from 8 to 10, feet above the boiler 
furnace, and so are able to store and use oil in a very easy and econom- 



harris.] WELL DRILLING AND PUMPING. 73 

ical manner. However, as the price of oil gradually rises above 80 
cents per barrel there is a tendency to return to the old methods 
and materials for making steam. PI. VII, A. shows a t}^pical small 
pumping plant of to-day, with its fuel tank and cheap board structure 
with engine inside. 

PI. VII, B, shows the rear of a similar plant. A centrifugal pump 
(see fig. 12) is on the lower end of the same shaft that carries the band 
wheel. It is placed in a wooden-curbed well sufficiently low to be 
beneath the surface of the water at the driest season of the year. 
When it is not so placed resort must be had to priming every time the 
pump is started. Around Kinder and China, where the usual head of 
the water is 25 feet below the surface of the ground, the pumps are 
depressed to a depth of 25 or 30 feet. 



WATER SUPPLIES FROM WELLS IN SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. 



By M. L. Fuller. 



INCREASED USE OF UNDERGROUND WATER. 

The past decade has witnessed a great impetus to well drilling in 
southern Louisiana, and as the advantages of underground water sup- 
plies become better understood, more and more attention will be given 
to such sources. The use of underground waters for the irrigation of 
rice has led to the sinking of an unusually large number of wells, 
especially in the region along the coast, where values in some locali- 
ties have increased five to ten fold within the last ten years through 
the reclamation of the land by irrigation. The use of water for this 
purpose will be considered in detail in the section on "Rice irriga- 
tion in southern Louisiana," the present discussion being limited to 
town, domestic, farm, railroad, and manufacturing supplies. 

TOWN AND DOMESTIC SUPPLIES. 

Increasing attention is always given to the quality of water sup- 
plies as a country becomes older. In the earty stages of development 
the settlements are of small size, and are more or less remote from one 
another. Even within the villages themselves the houses are gener- 
ally scattering. Under such conditions a sufficient water supply can 
usually be had near at hand, either from surface streams, or from 
springs, or shallow wells, though in some instances a deep supply 
must be sought from the start. As the country develops and the vil- 
lages and towns become more crowded the original sources of supply 
are frequently either exhausted or become too contaminated for use. 

Contamination of the shallow wells, where arising from local 
sources, can frequently be prevented by proper systems of drainage 
or sewage disposal, but in small communities such sj^stems are often 
more expensive than a new and deeper system of water supply. 
Moreover, shallow wells of the open type are not only liable to pol- 
lution by the entrance of surface water or of ground water of the 
surface zone, both of which are often charged with matter derived 
from stables, privies, cesspools, etc., but receive more or less refuse 
blown in by the wind from the adjoining yards or streets, while small 
74 



fuller.] WATER SUPPLIES FROM WELLS. 75 

animals not uncommon \y fall into such wells and the water is contam- 
inated b} T their decajnng bodies. The odor and taste of the water in 
some instances, and the odorous masses of muck removed in cleaning 
in others, attest the occurrence of large amounts of decajdng organic 
matter. In fact, an open well can seldom be so guarded as to entirely 
prevent pollution, and although often not especially deleterious to 
health, the water is rarely equal to that of a driven well of the same 
depth, from which it is possible to shut out all waters from or near 
the surface. 

In the case of streams, the contamination may not, and in fact usu- 
ally does not, rest with the community using the water, but with 
other villages or cities farther up the stream, perhaps in another 
State. Little can be done in such cases toward removing the sources 
of pollution, and to secure even a moderately pure supply resort must 
be had to filtration or other processes of purification, or to deep wells. 

In many parts of the country little water can be obtained from deep 
wells, but in southern Louisiana the conditions are exceptionally 
favorable for obtaining satisfactory supplies in this manner. Fig. 7, 
page 28, shows graphically the subdivisions of this portion of the 
State as regards the occurrence of underground water. It will be 
noted that there are three definite east-west belts, each of which is 
bisected by the northwest-southeast belt along Mississippi River. 
The latter belt, which in area is the largest of them all, is made up of 
lands consisting mainly of materials deposited by the river in recent 
geological times, though older deposits sometimes show at the surface. 
In general it consists of alternations of sands and mucks, all of which 
carry more or less organic matter. In this area water can be obtained 
at almost any depth, but it carries a large amount of iron and organic 
matter, and although used for drinking purposes and for watering 
stock, has a decidedly deleterious action on health and is a great hin- 
drance to the proper development of the region, especially as the 
available surface supplies except along Mississippi, Red, and Atcha- 
falaya rivers, Bayou Lafourche, Bayou Teche, etc., are mainly from 
sluggish streams and bayous (PI. VIII), which are generally equally 
bad. Certain of the waters of this belt are, however, sometimes 
placed on the market as mineral waters, and are used for bathing at 
several resorts. 

The most southerly of the three east- west belts affords the best under- 
ground supplies. In this area the water can be obtained at a moderate 
depth, flows without pumping, and is of good quality. Most of the 
towns depending for their public supplies on wells (see table on p. 77) 
are located in this belt. In the middle east-west belt pure supplies are 
also obtained at no great depths, but in general the wells do not flow. 
The towns listed in the table mentioned and not situated in the south- 
ern belt occur in the middle belt. In the northern belt the land is 



76 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 

hillj r and abounds in surface streams and springs. Water can be ob- 
tained almost everywhere by shallow wells, but does not occur in defi- 
nite and persistent beds, and is not found in as large quantities as in 
the more southern belts. It does not often rise to the surface. 

The great advantage of the deeper underground supplies is their 
general freedom from pollution from human sources. A great majority 
of the cases of t} 7 phoid fever, one of the great scourges of this coun- 
try, appears to be due to impure drinking water. In some instances 
the number of cases has decreased 75 per cent on the substitution of 
a pure supply. Malaria, so prevalent in its various forms throughout 
the South, is believed by many to be largely due to the unsatisfactory 
quality of the domestic water supplies, although it is probable that 
poor food and the general unsanitary surroundings have much to do 
with its prevalence. Whether due to the direct transmission of germs 
or to a g-eneral injurious effect on the constitution, the use of man} T of 
the relatively stagnant surface waters certainly adversely affects the 
health. The substitution of pure underground supplies almost alwaj's 
results in an immediate and marked improvement in health. 

To secure a pure underground water suppty it is necessary to sink 
the well to a depth sufficiently great to prevent the possibility of con- 
tamination by seepage from the surface zone of the groundwater. 
The depth will depend largely on local conditions. In general, water 
obtained from beneath a bed of clay of sufficient thickness to form a 
barrier to the passage of surface waters, will be entirely satisfactory 
as far as freedom from contamination is concerned. In flat areas a 
source of supply 20 to 30 feet below the nearest source of pollution 
would probably be safe to use if all access to surface waters were cut 
off by proper casing. 

Among the disadvantages of underground supplies are (1) their 
uncertain distribution and depth, (2) their uncertain quality, (3) the 
cost of deep wells, (4) the cost of pumping" nonflowing wells, and (5) 
the insufficiency of supply in certain crowded communities and in some 
irrigable areas. The first two objections are of great importance. 
The conditions of the occurrence of waters are, however, well under- 
stood by those who have investigated them, and valuable information 
can usually be obtained from the numerous State or national bureaus 
engaged in the study of the subject. The cost of drilling and pump- 
ing deep wells is nearly always greater than the cost of obtaining sur- 
face supplies where the latter are at hand, but this is offset in many 
parts of southern Louisiana by the greater purity and the consequent 
greater number of uses to which well water can be put, and by the 
greater number of points at which it can be obtained. Good wells 
can frequently be obtained at localities far removed from surface 
sources arid in such instances afford the only means of development of 
the country. The fifth objection is one that is less readily met, but 



FULLER.] 



WATER SUPPLIES FROM WELLS. 



77 



surface supplies are often subject to the same drawbacks and fail 
where wells succeed. 

In the following table is given a list of the towns and cities in 
southern Louisiana depending in whole or in part on deep wells for 
their supplies. Doubtless all of the inhabitants of a given communit}^ 
do not draw upon the public supply; but, on the other hand, the 
waters are frequently piped beyond the corporate limits. The total 
number of persons using water from the deep wells in the localities 
mentioned is, therefore, probabty not far from the number indicated 
by the figures of population, aggregating about 45,000. To these 
must be added the large but unknown number living in the smaller 
towns, or scattered throughout the country, who draw their supplies 
from deep private wells. Man} 7 of the more important hotels possess 
such wells. When it is borne in mind that the amount of sickness 
and number of deaths is much lower among those using deep waters, 
and that the productiveness of the State is thereby increased b} 7 
hundreds of thousands of dollars, the importance of pure water 
supplies will be appreciated. 

Cities and towns depending on deep wells for public water supplies. 
[Compiled from Insurance Maps of Sanborn Map Company and other sources.] 



Town. 


Parish. 


Date of 
infor- 
mation. 


Popu- ' Num- 

lation, 1 berof 

1900. wells. 


Depth of 

wells. 


Method of storage. 


Alexandria 

Crowley 


Rapides 

East BatonRouge . 
Acadia 


1900 
1903 
1902 
1899 
1898 
1903 


5,040 
11, 269 
4,214 
2,692 
1,905 
1, 539 
3,314 
6,680 
2, 951 
3,590 
1,007 


2 
2 
2 
2 
1 
1 
3 
2 
2 
2 
1 


560, 760 
758, 800 
170, 270 


Standpipe. 
Do. 
Do. 


Franklin 


St. Mary 


Do. 




Tanks 60 feet deep. 






240 
150, 150, 226 












1903 
1899 
1900 
1903 


Standpipe. 

Standpipe and reservoir. 




St. Landry 


(?),184 


Plaquemine 




250 















a System i>roposed. 

The interest exhibited in the problems of pure water supplies is made 
manifest by a constantly increasing number of analyses, especially 
those of a sanitary character. A number of analyses, in part sanitary 
and in part purely chemical, made by the State experiment station a 
are given in the following- table: 



a Kept. Geol. Survey Louisiana for 1902, pt. 6, special report No. 6, pp. 251-252. 



78 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101 





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TOLLER. ] 



WATER SUJf PLIES FROM WELLS . 



79 



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PA 



80 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 

In the above analyses the total amount of solid matter held b} T the 
water is indicated in the third column. This solid matter is the 
residue which is left after the water has been evaporated to dryness, 
and includes both the suspended matter noted in the last column and 
matter held in solution. The waters of the table show less foreign 
matter than is generally found in ground waters, except in the New 
England States. ' Iowa ground waters, for example, usualty contain 
from 1,000 to 12,500 parts of residue per million; Illinois waters run 
from 300 to 1,200, while those of Kansas vary from 1,000 to 7,000 
parts. The "ash" column indicates the amount of residue left after 
the solid matter of the previous column has been heated to a red heat. 
In the table the difference between the amounts of the ash and the 
solid matter is given in the third column as organic matter. In reality 
this is not all organic matter, but includes the volatile parts of car- 
bonates, nitrates, etc., the amounts being, therefore, considerably too 
large. The figures in the sixth or albuminoid column indicate the 
amount of ammonia in actual organic combination, while the figures 
in the free ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate columns represent the 
amounts in each of the progressive stages through which organic 
matter passes during its oxidation to mineral matter. No single 
determination is an absolute indication of the quality of the water, but 
in general an association of high ammonia and nitrites, especially 
when associated with high chlorine, indicates pollution by sewage. 
Most of the waters of the table seem to be of excellent qualit} 7 , but it 
is apparent that in a few cases the oxidation of the organic matter 
has been arrested, while in the case of the 100-foot well in Ponchatoula 
there are certain evidences pointing to recent pollution. The amounts 
of calcium oxide do not indicate that the waters are especially hard, 
and they would probably give rise to only a small amount of scale if 
used in boilers, even if all of the calcium were in the form of sulphate. a 

FARM SUPPLIES. 

A considerable number of cattle are pastured on the prairies or in 
the more or less open pine lands throughout southern Louisiana, 
where the}' feed on the rich grass which abounds in such places, 
especially where recently burned over. These cattle find the neces- 
sary drinking water in the streams and bayous, artificial provision 
seldom being necessar} T . For horses and such cattle, sheep, hogs, etc., 
as are confined within narrow limits on the scattered farms, however, 
an artificial supply must often be provided. In a large part of the 
area this is a simple matter, good water, either flowing or nonflowing, 
being obtained within a moderate distance of the surface. PI. V 
shows typical examples of flowing wells, such as are obtained in the 
southern portion of the State. 

a Acknowledgments are due to Mr. M. 0. Leighton for portions of the discussion of analyses. 



fuller.] WATEE SUPPLIES FROM WELLS. 81 

RAILROAD SUPPLIES. 

One of the most common and important uses of underground water 
is for the locomotive supplies of railroads. On ever}^ line, usually 
but a few miles apart, are located the familiar water tanks, each of 
some hundreds or thousands of barrels capacity. For these, pure sup- 
plies must be had. The waters of the bayous and streams are in many 
instances unsatisfactory for locomotive use, and wells are commonly 
resorted to. Relatively little difficulty is encountered in southern 
Louisiana in obtaining water in this way. Except in the Mississippi 
lowlands, water of a satisfactory quality ma,j usually be obtained in 
ample amounts at moderate depths. In general, the waters give only 
slight amounts of boiler scale. 

MANUFACTURING SUPPLIES. 

Under this head are included both the boiler supplies of manufac- 
turing establishments and the supplies used directly in manufacturing- 
processes. The statements in regard to waters required for railroad 
locomotives apply equally to boiler waters in other lines. Taken as a 
whole, such supplies are of great importance, the very existence of 
the industries of certain localities being largely dependent upon them. 
The lumber business, with its numerous saw and planing mills, 
demands supplies of pure water at a great number of points. This 
water is generally obtained from deep wells. Well waters are also of 
great importance in many other industries, and as these increase in 
number, variety, size, and output the economic value of water will 
proportionally increase. 

Of the processes in which water plays a direct and leading part the 
manufacture of ice is the most important. Many of the cities and 
towns, including Baton Rouge, Crowley, Covington, Hammond, 
Jeanerette, and New Iberia, employ well water for this purpose. 
ire 101—04 6 



RICE IRRIGATION IN SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. 



Compiled by M. L. Fuller. 



DEVELOPMENT OF RICE IRRIGATION. 

One of the newest and most successful applications of irrigation is 
its use in the cultivation of rice. In 1888 lowlands near the bayous 
suitable for growing sugar cane, corn, and cotton could be purchased 
for $3.50 per acre, while the prairie lands back from the bayous could 
be bought for $1 per acre. With almost the first crop under irriga- 
tion the values showed a marked rise, and have continued to increase 
to the present time. In the first five years the value of the best rice 
lands rose to $10 per acre, while in 1901 the values reached $30 to $50 
per acre. 

The productiveness of the crops and the increased values of the 
land have led to a rapid development, which is still in its earlier stages. 
Rice land at a distance from railroads and not under canals may still 
be had for about $15 an acre, and will doubtless yield fair profits if 
carefully developed. It is with a view of calling attention to the 
possibilities of rice irrigation that the present description has been 
prepared. Many of the main facts here presented are taken from the. 
descriptions of Mr. Frank Bond, who investigated the subject for the 
Office of Experiment Stations, United States Department of Agri- 
culture, and published a report of his investigations as Bulletin 113 
of that Bureau. The statistics of the use of wells for rice irriga- 
tion, which are brought up to the end of 1902, are presented through 
the kindness of the Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce 
and Labor. 

The first people to plant rice in southern Louisiana were the Acadians, 
who, after their expulsion from Nova Scotia by the English in 1755, 
settled in considerable numbers in Louisiana and planted small areas to 
rice. The cultivation, primitive in its methods, was confined to the 
lowlands along the ba}^ous, the prairies affording pasturage for their 
herds of cattle. The lowland areas seldom admitted of satisfactory 
drainage and were too small for profitable cultivation. The crops 
frequently failed in years of deficient rainfall. Attempts were made 
to create additional water supplies by building levees across low sags 
82 



U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 101 PL. IX 




A. PUMPING STATION ON ONE OF THE LARGER STREAMS OF THE GULF 
COASTAL REGION. 




B. DISCHARGE OF A HEAVY PUMP SYSTEM. 



fuller.] RICE IRRIGATION. 83 

or coulees at poiius higher than the cultivated areas, but in most cases 
either the rainfall proved deficient or the capacit}^ of the reservoirs too 
limited. 

Little advance was made over the Acadian methods until a very 
recent date. Experiments in unusually wet years had served to show 
that the soils of the prairies were adapted to the growth of rice if suf- 
ficient water was at hand. This led to the trial of pumps as a means 
of raising water from the bayous to the rice fields. So successful was 
the test that pumps were at once installed at many points, and in a few 
years tens of thousands of acres of previously nearly worthless land 
tying from 10 to 70 feet above the bayous were put under cultivation. 

The first important pump was installed in 1894. It was a vacuum 
pump of the pattern used in the mining camps of the Northwest, and 
was established on the Bayou Plaquemine, in Acadia Parish, near 
Crowley. Although its failure at a critical time involved the partial 
loss of the crop, it showed the possibilities of pumping methods. In 
the following year a centrifugal pump was introduced, but was too 
small to meet the demands made upon it, and was succeeded in 1896 
by a pump having a capacity of 5,000 gallons per minute, which by its 
success opened a new era in rice cultivation. Still larger pumps have 
since been introduced, both of the centrifugal and rotary types. These 
have discharge pipes ranging from 12 to 60 inches in diameter, and 
raise 20 to 100 cubic feet of water per second through a distance of 
several feet. In the larger plants batteries of pumps operated by 
compound Corliss engines of 100 to 800 horsepower are in common 
use. PI. IX, A, shows the surroundings of a typical pumping plant 
drawing its supply from a stream or bayou, while B of the same plate 
gives a good idea of the volume of discharge from a powerful battery 
of pumps. 

SOURCES OF WATER. 

Bayous. — In the early stages of rice irrigation practically all the 
water was drawn from the bayous. In the portion of Louisiana 
devoted to the cultivation of rice these are the channels of the slug- 
gish streams draining the prairies or marshes and not the abandoned 
or distributary channels of a river, such as those near the Mississippi. 
In physical aspect, however, they are very similar. The current, 
though fairly strong at certain seasons, is very weak at others; the 
slow moving waters resting in channels sunk below the prairies are 
more or less clogged in many instances by snags of waterlogged 
stumps, logs, trees, etc., and bordered by dense vegetation, including 
the constantly encroaching cypress. Notwithstanding the sluggish- 
ness of the currents throughout the greater part of the year, however, 
the bayous maintain deep channels, the bottoms of which, in the region 
near the coast, are often many feet below the level of the sea. 



84 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 



Wells. — The bayous for a number of years furnished an adequate 
supply of water for the areas under cultivation, but the increase of 
acreage, combined with a deficiency of rainfall, as in 1901, brought to 
the attention of everyone the inadequacy of the supply under such 
conditions. In that year considerable areas planted to rice had to 
be abandoned, as the water supply failed, and in many localities the 
bayous were so lowered that salt water entered and by rendering the 
supply brackish .still further reduced the production. Emphasis was 
added to the fact already predicted that in dry years considerable areas 
remote from the bayous would either have to be abandoned or a new 
supply obtained. Deep wells, however, had already yielded abundant 
supplies at several points and were now regarded as the key to the 
situation. A number of the early wells are indicated on a map issued 
by the Office of Experiment Stations of the Department of Agricul- 
ture, and in part reproduced as PL XI. To these have been added a 
number of new wells." The wells shown, however, should be regarded 
as indicating the locations rather than the exact number, as at the 
close of 1903 several hundred wells existed where only a few are shown 
on the map. 

IRRIGATION SYSTEMS IN OPERATION. 

The following tables giv T e an idea of the extent and importance of 
the use of well and combined well and bayou systems for the irrigation 
of rice in Louisiana: 



Owners, acreage, and cost of rice irrigation from wells in 1902. 

[As reported to the Bureau of the Census.] 

ACADIA PARISH. 



Owner of well system. 



Post-office. 



Cromwell, Wm Abbott.. 

Scanlan, Denis J. do . .. 

Barousse, E Branch . . 

Burns, J. W do . . . 

Edgar, H. P. do . . . 

Prosper Bros. & Edgar do . . . 

Allen, Robie Crowley . 

Black, R. J do . . . 



Carper, Benjamin F. 

Cromwell, E 

Cullumber, Chas 

Ginters, Oscar 

Hoag, Philip H 



Jamison, Thomas 

Kraus, George 

Lee, Alonzo E 

Lineberger, Jacob 

Linscombe, John (manager) 

Minga, J. A 

Omealy, Geo. H 



.do . 
.do. 
.do. 
.do. 



Jennings, 
Parish. 



Crowley 130 

do 120 

do 200 

do 120 

do 80 

do -130 

do 520 

a Information furnished by Mr. A. C. Veatch 



Acres 
irrigated 
in 1902. 



160 
225 
200 
200 
100 
40 
200 
550 
450 
450 
300 
170 
150 



Farms 
irrigated 



Length 

of main 

canal in 

miles. 



1 
1 


$25. 00 
26.00 
24.30 
50.00 


i 


26.00 
18.00 


2 


42.00 
50.00 


i 


67.63 
32.00 




25.00 


1 


19.48 
23. 20 

10.00 




18.00 




27.01 




20.00 




30.00 



Total 
cost. 



42.00 
25. 25 



FULLER.] 



RICE IRRIGATION. 



85 



Owners, acreage, and cost of rice irrigation from wells in 1902 — Continued. 
ACADIA PARISH— Continued. 



Owner of well svstem. 



Post-office. 



Acres 
irrigated 
in 1902. 



Farms 
irrigated. 



Length 

of main 

canal in 

miles. 



Total 
cost. 



Portis, J. E 

Stokes, Joseph 

Waugh, Wm. E 

Wendling, J. and D 

Wilsey, George W 

Williams, Floyd 

Zambeecher, Wm 

Shoemaker, J. F. (manager Crowley 
Farming Co.) . 

Williams, Thomas and Walter 

Hays, Alton B. and Isaac , 

Klumpps, John 

Hays, Frank 

Nordyke, Harley J 

Robertson, Burrell 

Robinson, Wm. S. and J. J 

Romero, A 

Bailey, J. F 

Chappuis, A. S 

Dupont, Z. N 

Deboral, Emil 

Hinen, Wm 

Hains & Duinenie 

Hensgens, Conrad 

Langdoc, S. N 

Lacroix, Francois 

Lege, Lizee 

Porter, Leroy 

Theois, Alois 

Theseis, Jerhard 

Zambeecher, X. J 

Bradford, Geo. K 

Snyder, V. (W. K. Andrews, tenant). 

Fabacher, Jas. H 

Frey, John 

Girerd & Mouton 

Kramer, K 

McNeil, M. W 

Remers, Frank 

Hosea & Guidrv 



Gow, David.. 

McCormack, Robert . 

Leger, Martin 

Simons, H. B 

Bernard & Chappius 

Gossen, Joseph 

Heinen, D 

Heinen, Joseph 

Staunn, John F 

Jones, W 

McCormic, B 



Crowley . 
....do... 
....do... 

do... 

....do... 
...,do... 
....do... 
....do... 



....do 

....do 

Gervais 

Iota 

do 

do 

do 

Mermenton ... 

Rayne 

do 

do 

do 

do 

....do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

Moweaqua, 111. 

Santo 

do 

do 

Star 

do 

do 



Duson, Lafayette Par- 
ish. 

Crowley" 

do 

Eunice 

Mermenton 

Rayne 

do 

do 

do 

do 

Star 

do 



550 
140 
200 
200 
90 
500 
300 
480 

300 
218 
220 
150 
160 
130 
275 

80 
100 
200 
150 
515 
300 
450 
275 
100 
152 
300 
475 

60 
100 
200 
100 
300 

30 
200 
150 
150 
140 
125 
100 

400 
200 
250 
800 
1,000 
150 
500 
700 
480 
200 
200 



852. 00 
26.50 
45.00 
33.00 
21.88 
40.00 
30.00 
58.50 

44.00 
35.00 

7.75 
24.00 
25.00 

6.00 
53.00 
24. 45 
36. 75 
24. 00 

1.15 
47.00 
26.00 
25. 20 
25.00 
35. 00 
24.00 
21.00 
20.50 

8.22 
30.68 
31.80 
48.00 
50.00 
68.25 
32.00 
37.00 
27.00 
25.50 
31.00 
24.00 

55. 00 
82.00 

34.00 
IS. 00 
45.00 
26.00 
19.00 
70.00 
35. 00 
5.00 
5.00 



86 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no.101. 



Owners, acreage, and cost of rice irrigation from wells in 1902 — Continued. 
CALCASIEU PARISH. 



Owner of well system. 



Post-office. 



Acres 
irrigated 
in 1902. 



Farms 
irrigated 



Length 

of main 

canal in 

miles. 



Total 
cost. 



Gerouard, M.I 

Boiler, E. L 

Bruchaus, William 

Hebert, M. A 

Bucklin, S. C 

Nutt, ,T. M 

Pilgrim, John M 

Baker & Fenton 

Day, A. F 

Fenton, S.J 

Miles, C. K 

Monger, Eliza J 

Mills, I. J 

Nicholas, James P. and Rock. 

Cluguston, James 

Peabody, Frank 

Webers, A 

Arthur, A. M 

Bliss, F. E 

Bryne, Maurice 

Carr, A. G 

Cooper, E. W 

Curtis, C. C 

Maund, George E 

Eastman, W. W 

Garlick, Geo. W 

Harris, W. E 

Anderson, Albert 

Jones, Augustus 

Jones, Perry B 

Kenny, J. A. (manager) 

Marsh, Martin V 

Maund, James 

Meyers, John R 

Pearl, John 

Remage, Dr. G. W 

Roberts, John H 

Twitchell, V. M 

White, H 

Oden,R.E 

Cary, Howard L 

Garlick, G. W 

Braden, John E 

Camp,R.E 

Trakam , Euzebe 

Winn.T.H 

Baker.M.S 

Wilcason, Dr 

Demeist, John B 

Hamond 

Harlan, A. D 

Sherman, Mark 

Raymond, Charles 



Calcasieu 

China 

do 

do 

do 

Elton 

do 

Fenton 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do , 

do 

Glen 

Fenton , 

Iowa 

Jennings 

do 

d© 

do..: 

do 

do , 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

.....do 

do ,. 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

Kinder 

Jennings 

do 

Lake Arthur. . 

do 

do 

....do 

do 

Jennings 

....do 

Lake Charles . 

....do 

....do 

Raymond 



320 
200 

50 

50 
140 
200 
100 
250 
307 
220 
140 
200 
250 
150 
100 
120 
158 
800 

75 
100 
340 
220 
220 
360 

65 
200 
300 
830 
175 
320 
600 

50 
150 
120 
375 
140 
120 
130 
300 
600 
600 
240 
300 
200 
150 
850 
120 
200 
122 
240 
200 

90 
100 



$27. 52 
17.46 
21.27 
2.00 
15.00 
22.50 
17.00 
24.00 
51.00 
29. 00 
19.15 
30.00 
28.00 
39.50 
26. C3 
7.00 
15.50 
85.00 
24.50 
21.00 
48.00 
45.00 
24.69 
20.00 
25.00 
36.50 
37.00 
85.00 
25.50 
40.50 
39.00 
25.00 
26.00 
22.30 
82.00 
29.00 
20.00 
20.00 
30.50 
59.00 

103. 50 

.27. 00 
55.00 
23.56 
20.36 

150. 00 
20.50 
15.00 
33.93 
43.00 
23.00 
20.05 
19.00 



FULLER.] 



E1CE IRRIGATION. 



87 



Owners, acreage, and cost of rice irrigation from wells in 1902 — Continued. 
CALCASIEU PARISH— Continued. 



Owner of well svstem. 



Post-office. 



Acres 
irrigated 
in 1902. 



Farms 
irrigated, 



Length 

of main 

canal in 

miles. 



Berry, J 

Booze, J. M 

Cary, Dr. C. A. (Auburn, Ala) 

Clayton, Thomas 

Diener, John 

Firestone, O. R 

Bowers, J. H 

Firestone, L. N 

Firestone, J. B 

Gabbert.W.B 

Minnix, J. C 

Robinson, E. T 

Miller & Sanders Plantation (W. H. 
Smith, manager) . 

Thomas, David and John 

Zwick & Son, C. H 

Abbott, E. S 

Coffman, J. M 

Austin, C. A 

Bower, Elmer 

Cooper, J. W 

Calkins & Spaulding 

Coleman, Geo 

Davis, N. C, and Patterson, A. D 

Ellis, James 

Fontenot, J. B 

Field, CM 

Fontenot, H. A 

Glick Bros 

Gravel & Soa% M 

Heald, Ernest 

Jeeter, Charles 

Kelly, N.L 

Kelley & Prentice 

McBurney, Wm. and A. R 

Moore, F. H 

Saxby, C. A 

Scharff, Edward 

Targart, L 

Winterton, S. A 

Whitney, Fred 

Fox,E.P 

Krause & Managan 



Roanoke 

do... 

do... 

do... 

do... 

do... 

do... 

.....do... 

do... 

do... 

do ... 

do... 

do... 



do '.. 

do 

do 

...:do 

Welsh 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

Lake Arthur. 
West Lake... 



300 

300 
100 
300 
150 
145 
100 
155 
80 
110 
200 
130 
200 

125 
850 
500 
740 
450 
250 

90 
200 
160 
110 
300 
100 

30 

80 
350 
100 
200 
140 
300 
320 
900 
450 
180 
500 

65 

200 

200 

3,300 

150 



VERMILION PARISH. 



Bondreau, Adam 




150 
300 
207 
240 
225 
1,200 


1 
2 
3 
1 
1 
1 




822. 93 


Dore, J. O 


do 




33.00 




do 




16. 25 


Le Blanc, Hon. R. P 




do 

do 




41.00 




1 

4 


21.35 




Milling Co. 


do 


100. 00 


(Limited). 







UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 



Owners, acreage, and cost of rice irrigation from wells in 1902 — Continued. 
VERMILION PARISH— Continued. 



Owner of well system. 



Post-office. 



Acres 
irrigated 
in 1902. 



Farms 
irrigated. 



Length 

of main 

canal in 

miles. 



Total 
cost. 



Sirmon, R. G 

Yantis, W. M 

Burgon Bros 

Bense & Arnold, Greencastle, Ind 

Fisher, Walter F 

Freeland, Wm. T 

Estate of J. P. Gueydan (Henry L. 
Gueydan, manager). 

Quereaux, Worthy 

Spencer, W. D 

McClure Bros, and Taylors 

Wilkinson. Roy 

Smith, Alvin 

Jones, J. P 

Stauffer, Chas 

Romaine & Son, Howard 

Suryer, Henry 

Broussard, Casar 

Deihl, Jacob J 

Hemingson, Mrs. I 

Hair, Hansford 

Peterson, M. W 

Wright, J. E 

Gilmore, Craig 

Laurents, Mrs. G 

Laurents, Jules G 

Laurents, P 

Huber, J. F 



do... 

do... 

Gueydan 

do... 

do... 

do... 

do... 



do 

do 

do 

do..' 

do 

Henry 

do 

Kaplan 

Indian Bayou 

Laurents 

Shellbeach ... 

do 

Wright 

do 

Esther 

Gueydan 

Laurents 

do 

do 

Perry 



125 
496 
300 
150 
200 
600 
1,200 

240 

500 

800 

■ 200 

70 
100 

80 
700 
225 
150 
200 
250 
240 
100 
815 
900 
100 
600 
100 
700 



16.95 
49.87 
40.00 
26.50 
31.80 
50.00 
98.00 

30.00 
64.00 
120. 00 
25.00 
12. 00 
27.00 
23.00 
57.00 
22. 50 
9.00 
32.00 
30.00 
40.50 
20.00 
39.00 
51. 50 
25.50 
45.00. 
28.50 
60.00 



Owners, acreage, and cost of rice irrigation from wells in 1902. 

[As reported to the Bureau of Census.] 
MISCELLANEOUS PARISHES. 



Parish. 



Cameron 

Do... 

Do... 

Do... 

Do... 
Iberia ... 

Do... 

Do... 
Lafayette 
Orleans. . 

Do... 

Do... 

Do... 

Do... 



Owner of system. 



Hamblin, Albert F 

Bridgeford, Walter F 

Pomeroy and Sons 

Monroe Rice Plantation . . . 

Lakeside Irrigation Co 

Loard, Mrs. M 

Poirson and Roane 

Poirson and Hebert 

Avant, Berr 

Funk, John 

Sarradet, J. M 

Schenck and Son, Michael . 

Seyer, Chas 

Witzel, Mrs. Chas 



Post-office. 



Laurents 

Lakeside 

do 

do 

Jennings 

New Iberia . . 
Jeanerette... 

do 

Duson 

New Orleans 

do 

do 

do 

do 



Acreage. 


Farms. 


60 


1 


200 


1 


100 


1 


800 


2 


3,000 


12 


150 


1 


400 


1 


200 


1 


50 


1 


3 


1 


4 


1 


6 


1 


1 


1 


3 


1 



Length of 
main 
canal 



Miles. 



Total 
cost. 



$12. 00 

24.00 

28.00 

104.53 

420. 00 

29.10 

54.40 

41.05 

21.90 

3.00 

1.00 

2.70 

.25 



FULLER.] 



RICE IRRIGATION. 



89 



Owners, acreage, and cost of rice irrigation from wells in 1902 — Continued. 
MISCELLANEOUS PARISHES— Continued. 



Parish. 


Owner of system. 


Post-office. 


Acreage. 


Farms. 


Length of 
main 
canal. 


Total 
cost. 


St. Landry 

Do 






405 


6 


Mile*. 
4 


52.50 








Do 


Bordelon and E. B. Dubuson 
Gus Fusilier and Gaumay . . 


\ , s !• 60 

Opelousas J 

Eunice 200 


3 .. 


20.00 


Do 


1 




40.00 


Do 


do 


100 
160 
150 
130 
160 
100 


1 

1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 




20.00 


Do 




do 




26.00 


Do 


Tate, Theodore 


do 




25.00 


Do 




Washington 




21.00 


St Martin .. 


Smedes, C. E 




27.55 


Do 






* 


16.00 


Do 


Martin, Dr. J. S.. 

Hammel, C. H 


do 80 


3.50 


Tangipahoa . . . 




1.85 













Xumber of rice irrigation systems. 
[As reported to the Bureau of the Census.] 





Number of irrigation systems — 


Parish. 


Supplied with water from — 






Streams. 


Wells. 


Streams and 
wells. 


Total. 


Acadia 


37 
37 
16 
413 
13 

95 


59 

93 

3 


11 
2 


107 


Calcasieu 


132 


Iberia 


19 


Plaquemines 


- 


413 


Vermilion 


27 
1 

1 
5 
6 
3 

1 
1 


6 
4 


' 46 


Cameron 

Lafayette 




Orleans 






St. Landry 

St. Martin 


1 


118 


Tangipahoa 

All other parishes 










• Total 


611 


200 


24 


835 







90 TJNDEEGEOUND WATEES OF SOUTHEEN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 

Cost of rice irrigation systems. 





Supplied with water from — 


Total. 


Average per 


Parish. 


Streams. 


Wells. 


Streams and 
wells. 


acre irri- 
gated, 1902. 


Acadia 


$1,148,630 

1, 482, 778 

89, 917 

97, 077 

981, 000 

> 143, 199 


$182, 600 


$39,400 


$1, 370, 630 

1, 813, 858 

102, 372 

97,077 

1,111,915 

■ 229,457 


$12. 93 


Calcasieu 


318, 880 12. 200 


13.12 


Iberia 


12, 455 




10.11 


Plaquemines 




6.93 


Vermilion 


105, 965 

' 1, 200 

2,190 

895 

15, 200 

4,705 

185 


24, 950 
57, 653 


16.76 


Cameron 

Lafayette 




Orleans 






St. Landry 


5,250 


4.35 


St. Martin 




Tangipahoa 






All other parishes 












Total 


3, 942, 601 


644, 275 


139, 453 


4, 725, 309 


12.20 







Farms under irrigation for rice. 
[As reported to the Bureau of the Census.] 



Parish. 


Streams. 


Wells. 


Streams and 
wells. 


Total. 


Acadia 


543 
419 
54 
432 
450 

186 


86 

116 

3 


22 
11 


651 


Calcasieu 


546 


Iberia 


57 


Plaquemines 




432 


Vermilion 


43 
1 
1 
5 
8 
3 
1 

11 




17 

16 


510 


Cameron 




Lafayette 




Orleans 






St. Landry 

St. Martin 


6 


237 


Tangipahoa 

All other parishes 
















Total 


2,084 


, 278 


72 


2,433 







FULLER.] 



RICE IRRIGATION. 

Acreage under irrigation for rice. 



91 



Parish. 



Acadia 

Calcasieu 

Iberia 

Plaquemines 

Vermilion 

Cameron 

Lafayette 

Orleans 

St. Landry 

St. Martin 

Tangipahoa 

All other parishes 

Total 



87, 666 

111,636 

9,376 

14," 015 

53, 875 



> 46,191 



322, 759 



Wells. 



13, 460 

23, 117 

750 



J, 248 

60 

50 

17 

800 

340 

12 

794 



48, 648 



Streams and 
wells. 



4,880 
3,450 



3,215 
4,100 



405 



16, 050 



Total. 



106, 006 

138, 203 

10, 126 

14, 015 

66, 338 



52, 769 



387, 457 



Lengths of rice canals and ditches in 1902. 
[As reported to the Bureau of the Census.] 



Parish. 


Total length 

in miles of 

main canals 

from well and 

well and 
streamsystems. 


Total length 

in miles 
of ditches of 
all systems. 


Acadia 


53 

47 

3 


239 


Calcasieu 


291 


Iberia 


12 


Plaquemines 


8 


Vermilion 


25 

17 

4 


108 


Cameron 


") 


St. Landry 


1 50 


All other parishes - . 










■ 


Total 


149 


708 







PUMPING. 

The different types of pumps in common use have already been 
mentioned. The centrifugal, which is the prevailing type, is lighter, 
simpler, more readily established, and cheaper than the rotary pumps, 
although the latter are more efficient when carefully installed. The 
total lift of such pumps in raising waters from the bayous to the 
canals varies from 7 to 35 feet, 20 feet being an average lift. Higher 



92 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no.ioi. 



levels require supplementary lifts. PL X shows a tj^pieal pumping 
plant on the Bayou des Cannes, Louisiana. 

In the case of some of the flowing wells the water can be turned 
directly into the canals for distribution, but where applied at a higher 
level than the wellhead, pumps are used for lifting the supply. Where 
the water rises within a few feet of the surface an excavation is made 
to such depth that the pump is submerged by the water. In the case 
of wells of small bore the pumping is generally conducted on batteries 
of wells located 12 to 20 feet apart, though single wells are sometimes 
pumped. Great numbers of. such batteries have been installed in 
Calcasieu Parish, where their success has been very marked. Much 
trouble is caused by sand entering the wells, but this can be largely 
remedied by screening devices, such as are described on pages 71-72. 

The fuel used in pumping is of three kinds: Coal, wood, and oil. 
In 1901 bituminous coal cost as high as $1.75 per ton; wood, $1.50 to 
$3 per cord, and oil from 18 to 62£ cents per barrel. The cost of oil 
was at that time said to be about $1 per acre for the season, while that 
of coal and wood was from $2 to $3 per acre. Oil now commands a 
much higher price and there is much less money saved through its use. 
Coal will doubtless continue to be extensively used in the plants near 
the railroads, but in localities remote from transportation facilities 
wood will probably afford the most available supply. PL X shows 
the process of unloading wood from a flatboat by means of a moving 
belt. 

APPLICATION OF THE WATER. 



CANALS. 

The water received from the pumps or directly from the flowing 
wells is conducted to the rice fields by canals. These consist of 
two parallel levees constructed of wet, impervious clays, or clayey 
loams, free from roots and twigs, between which the water is con- 
ducted. Fig. 13 is a cross section of the type of canal which has 



SUR FAC E 




Fig'. 13. — Cross section of rice canal. 

been found to yield the best results. Care should be taken to remove 
stumps and to keep out all growth of weeds or other sources of 
obstruction to the flow of the water. PL XI shows the distributary 
system in the leading rice district of Louisiana. 

FIELD LEVEES. 

The best form of field levees are low swells, from 15 to 20 feet in 
width, having the shape shown in fig. 14. They are used to regu- 



PULLER.] 



KICE IRRIGATION. 



93 



late the application of water in irrigation. The advantages of levees 
of this type over the old high and narrow variety are: (1) They 
are easily crossed, and without damage, b}^ farm machinery; (2) no 
land is withdrawn from cultivation bj r them; (3) the growth of the 
worthless red rice and of undesirable grasses and plants is largeh r pre- 
vented because of the cultivation of the entire area; (1) they are 
adapted to the varying slopes of the different t}^pes of rice fields. 

This kind of levee is more difficult to construct, and before its intro- 
duction the fields developed under the old s}^stem must be releveled. 
More levees are also required on sloping ground. In the end, how- 
ever, its use will probably prove the most economical of the various 
types. 

METHODS OF FARMING. 

The t} T pe of soil best adapted for the growing of rice is a medium 
loam, the materials of which are clayey enough to form resistant levees 
and to support heavy harvesting machinery. Organic matter tends to 
render the material more porous, and is undesirable where it is to be 
used for levees. 

The land is plowed with gang plows in the fall or spring, sometimes 
both, then disked and harrowed thoroughly. Planting is done with 
the broadcast machine attached to an ordinary farm wagon, or the 




Fig. 14. — Cross section of correct forfa of field, levee. 

seed is drilled in rows from 7 to 8 inches apart, the latter method 
insuring a better crop. During the planting season, which extends 
from April 1 to June 15, or later, no water is put upon the land, 
dependence being placed upon rainfall to sprout the seed and promote 
the growth of the plant for a period varying between one and two 
months, depending upon the season and water supply. Flooding 
usualty begins when the rice reaches a height varying between 6 and 
10 inches, and from this time on until the grain is in the milk and well 
formed — a period of about seventy days — the fields are kept flooded. 
In other cases much less water is used. The accompanying diagram 
(fig. 15) shows the depths of water and dates of flooding of such a field 
at Crowley. 

About ten daj T s before harvest the levees are cut and the fields are 
drained. The grain rapidly hardens and matures, and by the time it 
is ready to cut the field is sufficiently diy to permit the use of the 
reaper and binder. This machine is identical with that used in the 
grain fields elsewhere in the United States. The sheaves of rice are 



94 



UNDERGROUND WATERS OB 1 SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. [no. 101. 



shocked in the field immediately after the binder, ten sheaves to a 
shock being the rule, in order that there may be a free circulation of 
air to dry the straw. When harvesting- begins the stalks and leaves of 
the rice are still green, in the main, but the head is golden }^ellow on 
the terminal two-thirds. The green straw properly cured is a valuable 
substitute for ha} 7 , and is baled and fed to live stock, including the 
work horses and mules, which become accustomed to it, often prefer- 
ring it to prairie hay. Harvesting begins in September and continues 
through October and part of November, often until the 1st of Decern- 



June 


JOfLy 


AXJLffLLSt. 




28 2930 


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 1 (2 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 II 12 13 


- 

O 

c 

< 

1 

1 

z 

£ 
! 

L 

C 

I 


:: 
; 

.15 

.14 














































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































" 3 't 


















































































1 










































































































































































H 








































































































































































..RksehIh 




















































































S3 


























































































































































Hi 

"'Hi 

02 Hi 
















































































































































i 


































































































































































































































| 











Fig. 15.— Diagram showing depths of water used on rice field at Crowley and dates of irrigation. 

ber, and thrashing the rice from the shock begins after it has been 
allowed to cure and dry for a period of two weeks at least. The 
machines used are the modern styles of wheat thrashers using steam 
power, revolving knives for cutting the binding twine, and a blower 
to remove and stack the straw. The rough rice as it comes from the 
thrasher is put in large gunny sacks, weighing, when filled, an average 
of 185 pounds each. The sacked rice is hauled either to the warehouses 
or directly to the mills. 



INDEX. 



Page. 
Abbeville, wells at and near, descriptions 

a ad sections of 54-55 

Abbot, H. L., and Humphreys, A. A., 
cited on discharge of Mississippi 

River __ 14 

Abbot well, elevation of water in 57 

Abita Hotel, well at, description of £5 

Abita Springs, pressure near, variations 

in 02 

wells at, descriptions of . 35-36 

Acadia Parish, rice-irrigation systems 

in 84-85,89,90,91 

wells in 55-56 

Alber well, description of 42 

Albrecht, Joseph, analysis furnished by__ 47 

Alexandria, artesian area near 29 

rainfall at <.. 12 

sections at 20 

section from New Orleans to 18 

Amite, rainfall at ._' 12 

Analyses of artesian water 44, 47, 48, 78-79 

Anderson well, Hammond, description of. 38 

view of 34 

Anderson well, Jennings, description of _ _ 58 
Artesian water, advantages and disadvan- 
tages of 76 

analyses of _ 44,47,48,78-79 

area of 29-30,75 

cities and towns using 77 

flow of, variations in _ 61-67 

origin of _ 12-14 

Artesian wells, drilling, method of 68-71 

flow of, variations in 61-67 

pumping, methods of 72-73 

statistics of _._ ___, 30-60 

views of. __- 58 

See also Artesian water; Water; 
"Wells. 

Assumption Parish, wells in 49 

Auhert Hotel, well at, description of 36 

Audubon Park, well at, description of___ 45-46 

Avoyelles Parish, wells in 54 

Baker, wells at, description of 48-49 

Baltzell and Thomas well, description of _ 39 

Batchelor, depth to water at 54 

Baton Rouge, wells at and near, descrip- 
tions of, and analysis of water 

from 48 

Baton Rouge Junction, depth to water at. 54 

Bauerle, B. F., well of, description of 39 

Bay St. Louis, Miss., wells at 33 

Bayou des Cannes, pumping plant at 84 

Bayou Sar.i , well at, description of 49 

Bayou, view of l 76 

Bayous, use of, in rice irrigation 83 



Page. 

Biegel, G-. H., well of, description of 42 

Biloxi, Miss., section from Pass Christian 

to. _ 32 

wells at, sections and descriptions of. 31 

Biloxi sands, definition of 22 

Bishop well, description and section of ._ 42 

Blakemore, section furnished by 45 

Blanchard, A. G, section kept by 45 

Blowing wells, occurrence of 60-61 

Blumquist, John, information furnished 

by. 47 

Bond, Frank, acknowledgments to 82 

quoted on screens 71 

Bonnabel, — ., information furnished by. 46 
Bonnabel well, description of and analy- 
sis of water from " 43^-7 

Bowen, L. J., well of, description of 56 

Bower , E . L . , well of, description of 57 

Bower well, height of water in, variation 

in . 64 

Boy ce, strata penetrated at 21 

Bradley & Ramsay Lumber Co., well of, 

description of 59 

well of, view of. 58 

Breaux Bridge, well near, description of. 52 
Brinker, Frank, well of, description of... 36 

Brown, — , section furnished by 31 

Bunkie, wells at, descriptions of 54 

Calcasieu Parish, rice irrigation systems 

in 86-87,89,90,91 

wells in _- 53-60 

Cameron Parish, rice irrigation systems 

in 88,89,90,91 

section through 16 

Canal systems, map showing 92 

Canals, description of . 92 

Carey wells, section of 58 

Chapins well, description of 55 

Cheney ville, rainfall at 12 

China, wells near, description of 59 

Chinchuba, well at, description of 38 

Clemenshaw, C. , well of 32 

Clendenin, W. W., section furnished by . 50 

Clinton, rainfall at 12 

Contamination, causes of 74-75 

Cooper well, section of :... 57 

Covington, pressure near, variation in . . 62 

section through _ _ 18 

well near, view of 34 

wells at and near, descriptions and 

sections of 33-35 

Crowley, wells at and near, descriptions 

of 55-56 

Darton, N. H., cited on wells at Bay St. 

Louis, Miss 33 

95 



96 



INDEX. 



Page. 
Deep wells, advantages and disadvan- 
tages of _:.__ .-- 76 

cities and towns obtaining water from 77 

occurrence of 29-30,75 

See also Artesian wells; Artesian 
water. 

Delta region, topography of _ 16 

Dessome well, description of 37 

Dixon Academy well, description of 33 

Domestic purposes, water supply for 

towns and . 74-£0 

Donnelly wells, flow of 55 

Dremmet well, section and description of 33-34 

Drilling well s, methods of _ . 68-71 

Durkee well, description of 39 

Dutch, John, well of, description of 34 

East Baton Rouge Parish, wells in 48^9 

Eastman well, description of 39 

Ellis, E. P., well of 32 

Emms, John, well of, description of 51 

Fabacher well, description and section of . 44-45 

height of water in, variation in 67 

Farming rice, methods of _ 93-94 

Farms, water supply of__ 80 

Fenton, well at, variation in height of 

water in .. 65 

Field levee, cross section of. 93-94 

description of _ _ . . . 92-93 

Fields well, section of 57 

Five Islands, relief of. 15 

Flow, variations in - 61-67 

Flower wells, section of _ 34 

Forbes well, description of . _ _ 39 

Fuel, kind used in pumping . _ _ _ _ 92 

Gilbeaux well, description of 52 

Glencoe, well at, section of 50 

Grand Chenier Island, north side of, view 

of.. 24 

sections across _ 24 

springs on, view of 22 

Grand Chenier Ridge, remnant of, view 

of ,.. .'. 22 

Grand Gulf group, occurrence and char- 
acter of 19-21 

Grand Lake, section through 18 

Gueydan, wells near, descriptions of 55 

Gulf of Mexico, relation of wells to _ 13 

Haas, W. D., well of, description of 54 

Haller , H . , well of, description of 35 

Hammill well, height of water in, varia- 
tions in. _ 63 

Hammond, flow at 62 

rainfall at.. _ 12 

well near, view of _ 34 

wells at, descriptions and sections of. 38^2 
Hammond Ice Company, well of, de- 
scription of _ . 39 

Hammond Mineral Water Company, well 

of, description of _. 39 

Harris, G. D., and Pacheco, J., quoted on 

rotary process... 70 

Harrison County, Miss., wells in .... 31-33 

Hawkeye well, height of water in, varia- 
tions in _ _ 65 

Hawkins, Mrs. John, well of, description 

of „ 37 



Herald well, elevation of water in 57 

Hermann well, description of 39 

Hernandez well, description of._ 35 

view of 34 

Hill lands, topography of 17 

Hommel, C. H., well of, description of . . . 39 
Humphreys, A. A., and Abbot, H. L., 
cited on discharge of Mississippi 

River _ 14 

Iberia Parish, rice-irrigation systems 

in.. 88,89,90,91 

wells in 50-52 

Irrigation. See Rice irrigation. 

Istrouma Hotel, well at, description of. . . 48 

Jackson, A. , well of, description of 39 

Jackson, C. H., well of, description of 37 

Jeanerette, wells at and near, descrip- 
tions and sections of 50-52 

Jennings, section through 18 

wells at and near, descriptions and sec- 
tions of.. -.. 58 

wells near, variations in height of 

water in _ 63,64 

Jetting process, description of 68,69 

figure showing 69 

June Brothers, well of, description of 39 

Kallock, , section furnished by 31 

Karlton, F. , well of, description of 40 

Kate well, description of .'-... '.'. 40 

Kemp well, description of 40 

Kennedy, William, well section furnished 

by 52 

Kinder, strata p3netrated near __ 21 

wells neav, descriptions of 59 

Labat Hotel, well at, description of 36 

Labbe w ell, description of 52 

Lafayette, rainfall at . 12 

wells at, descriptions of 53 

Lafayette Parish, wells in 53 

Lafourche Parish, well in, description of. 49 
Lake Arthur, well near, description of. . . 58 
Lake Charles, rainfall at 12 

well near, view of _ 58 

wells near, description and section of. 59-60 
Lake Pontchartrain, artesian area near. . 29 

characteristics of 25 

Section showing correlation of water- 
bearing sands north and south of 19 

south shore of, view of 24 

Lakes, formation of 25 

Lawson well, height of water in, variation 

in -. 64 

Lee, A. E., pumping plant of, view of 70 

Leighton, M. O. , acknowledgments to 80 

Levee, cross section of _ 93 

description of 92-93 

Lobdell, depth to water at 54 

Long Point, wells at, depth of water in.. 56 
Louisiana, southern, rainfall in 12 

rice irrigation in 82-94 

stratigraphy of. 17-27 

subdivision of, based on underground 

water conditions 27-30 

• topographic map of 14 

topographic subdivisions of 15-17 

map showing 15 



INDEX. 



97 



Page. 
Louisiana, soiithern, underground waters 

in, origin of - 12-14 

wells in, statistics of 33-60 

water supplies from 74-81 

Louisiana, southwestern, canal and well 

systems in, map showing 92 

Lyon well, description of 35 

McBirney wells, description of 59 

McKinney, C. A., well of, description of. 43 

McRill well, description of 59 

Maison Blanche well, description of 35 

Mandeville , flow near , variations in 61 

wells at, descriptions of . - 38 

Mandeville Junction, well at, description 

of . -. 37 

Manufacturing, water supply for 81 

Marksville, well at, description of. 54 

May, S. R., well of, description of 57 

May pumping plant, view of 70 

May well, height of water in, variation in. 67 
Melder, Frank, well of, description of . . . 60-61 
Mermentau River, G-rand Chenier Ridge 

on, view of remnant of 22 

Midland, well at, depth to water in 58 

Miller, E. D., well of, description of. 60 

Miller, Merritt, well of, description of . . _ 40 
Miocene rocks, occurrence and character 

of 21 

Mississippi, artesian wells in. 30-33 

Mississippi City, wells at _ 32 

Mississippi River, discharge of 14 

effect of, on stratigraphy of Louisi- 
ana 26-27 

on water in wells. 14 

Moon well, description of. 43 

Moresi wells, descriptions and sections of. 50 

Morgan City, well at, depth of 50 

Morrison well, description of 40 

Murdock, , section furnished by 31 

Napoleonville, wells at, descriptions of __ 49 

New Iberia, wells at, descriptions of 51 

New Orleans, section through 18 

sections from Alexandria to 18 

wells at __. 43-47 

New Roads, depth to water at. 54 

Oakdale, section through _ . _ 18 

Oaks Hotel well, description of _ 40 

Oberlin, well at, height of water in 59 

Oligocene rocks, occurrence and charac- 
ter of 19-21 

Opelousas, rainfall at 12 

well at, description and section of 53 

Oriza, wells at and near, descriptions of _ 56 
Orleans Parish, rice irrigation systems 

in 88,89,90,91 

wells in 43-47 

Pacheco, J., and Harris, G. D., quoted on 

rotary process _ 70 

Paine well, description of 37 

Pass Christian, Miss., section from Biloxi 

to _ 32 

Pearl River Junction, well at, description 

of.. 36 

Perkins & Miller Lumber Company, well 

of, description of _ 60 

IRR 101—04 7 



Pointe Coupee Parish, wells in 54 

Pontchartrain clay, definition of 22 

Ponchatoula, wells near, descriptions and 

sections of _ . 42-43 

Port Hudson clays, definition of 22 

Port Hudson group, discussion of . _ 22 

Prairie region, topography of 16-17 

Precipitation. See Rainfall. 

Pressure, effect of topography on 27-29 

variations in.. _ 61-67 

Pump, rotary, figure showing _ _ 72 

Pumping, method of 72-73 

use of, in rice irrigation 91-92 

Pumping plants, views of 70, 82, 84 

Pushee well, description of _ _ 40 

Quaternary deposits, genesis of 23-25 

occurrence and character of 21-23 

Railroads, water supply for 81 

Rainfall, amount of _ _ 12- 

effect of, on pressure of wells 66 

Rangia, occurrence of 25,27 

Rapides Parish, wells in 60-61 

Rayne, wells at and near, descriptions of. 55 
Reiser well, description and section of . . . 59 

Ribara well, description of 37 

Rice farming, methods of 93-94 

Rice irrigation, development of 82-83 

discussion of 82-94 

sources of water for 83-84 

Rice-irrigation systems, acreage under. . 91 

canals and ditches in, length of 91 

cost of _ 90 

farms under 90 

number of 89 

owners, acreage, and cost of, from 

wells. 84-89,90,91 

Richard, Hippolite, well of, description 

of :... 55 

Rivers, relation of water in wells to 13-14 

Roane, S. B., well of, description and sec- 
tion of 51 

Robinson well, description of 41 

Rogers, Erastas, well of, description of . . 41 

Rogers, Ben., well of, description of 41 

Rotary process of well drilling, descrip- 
tion of 69-71 

Rotary pump, figure showing 72 

Ruddock, well of, description of 47 

Rush well, description of 37 

Sabine Lake, section through 16 

St. James Parish, wells in 49-50 

St. John the Baptist Parish, well in 47 

St. Landry Parish, rice-irrigation sys- 
tems in. S8. 89, 90, 91 

wells in _ 53 

St. Martin Parish, rice-irrigation systems 

in. 88.89,90,91 

wells in 52 

St. Martinville, wells at and near, de- 
scriptions and section of 52 

St. Mary Parish, wells in 50 

St. Tammany Parish, wells in 33-38 

Scanlin, D. J., well of, elevation of water 

in 56 

Scanlin, F., well of, elevation of water in. 56 



98 



lnde: 



Page. 
Schmidt, C. W„ well of, description of. .. 36 

Screen, description of 71-72 

method of constructing, figure show- 
ing __ 72 

plate showing ._ 58 

Shallow wells, disadvantages of 74-75 

Shell Beach, wells at 55 

Ship Island, Mi s., wells at, sections and 

descriptions of 31-32 

Shore line, description of 23 

Singletry's still, well at, description and 

section of - 38 

Simon's Hotel, well at, description of 36 

Smith, J. T., well of, description of 41 

Smith, W. B., well of, description of ". 41 

Springs, view of 22 

Stratigraphy, discussion of 17-27 

effect of Mississippi River on 26-27 

.Stratigraphy and topography , effect of, oh 

undergToxmd water conditions . 27-29 

Streams, contamination cf 75 

Sugartown, rainfall at 12 

Sv. amp-lake area, topography of 15-17 

Tangipahoa Parish, rice-irrigation sys- 
tems in.... 88,89,93,91 

wells in 3343 

Tertiary rocks, occurrence and character 

of 19-21 

Thibodaux, well at, description of 49 

Thomassy, R., cited on relation of rivers 

to well waters 13 

Tigner well, description of.. 41 

Tillotson well, description of 59 

Topography, description of 15-17 

Topography and stratigraphy, effect of, 
on underground water condi- 
tions 27-29 

Towns, water supplies for domestic pur- 
poses and 74-80 

Underground water, advantages and dis- 
advantages of.. 76 

analyses of 44,47,48,78-79 

area of 23-30,75 

cities and towns iising 77 

flow of, variation in 61-67 

origin of 12-14 

See, also, Artesian wells; Wells. 
Underground water conditions, effect of 

topography and stratigraphy on 27-29 
subdivision of southern Louisiana ac- 

cordingto 28 

Veatch, A. C, information furnished by. 84 
Vermilion Parish, rice-irrigation systems 

. in 87-88,89,90,91 

wells in 54-55 



Wallbillick, Robert, section f urnishedby. 33 

Walsh, H., well of, description of 41 

Waltham, John, well of, description and 

section of _ _ 55 

Washington, well at, section of 53 

Water, amount used in rice farming, 

diagram showing 94 

analyses of, from wells 44, 47, 48, 78-79 

application of, in rice irrigation 92-94 

Water, artesian, advantages and disad- 
vantages of 76 

analyses of 44,47,48,78-79 

area of 29-30,75 

cities and towns using 77 

'flow of, variations in 61-67 

origin of . 12-14 

Water, deep well. See Water, artesian. 
Water, underground. See Water, arte- 
sian. 
Water supplies from wells, use of, for 

domestic purposes 74-80 

use of, for farms 80 

for railroads 81 

for towns 74-80 

Way well, description of 41 

Well drilling, methods of 68-71 

Wells, flow of , variations in 61-67 

statistics of 30-61 

use of, in rice irrigation 84 

water supplies from, discussion of . .. 74-81 
Wells, artesian, drilling of, method of . . . 68-71 

flow of , variations in 61-67 

pumping, methods of 72-73 

statistics of : 30-60 

views of 58 

See, also. Water, artesian; Wells. 

Wells, blowing, occurrence of 60-61 

Wells, shallow, disadvantages of . 74-75 

Well systems, map showing 92 

Well water. See Underground water. 

Welsh, pumping plant at, view of 70 

well at, variation in height of water in. 64, 67 
wells at and near, descriptions and 

sections of 57 

Wendling, John, well of, description of . . 56 

West Baton Rouge Parish, wells in. _ 54 

West Feliciana Parish, well in, descrip- 
tion of 49 

West Lake, wells near . 60 

Wilmot, W. J., well of, description of 41 

Wright, S., well of, description of 56 

Young Men's Gymnasium Club well, de- 
scription of, and analysis of 

water from 44 

Zachary, wells at 49 



LIBRARY CATALOGUE SLIPS. 

[Mount each slip upon a separate card, placing the subject at the top of the 
second slip. The name of the series should not be repeated on the series 
card, but the additional numbers should be added, as received, to the first 
entry.] 



Harris, Gilbert Dennison. 

. . . Underground waters of southern Louisiana, by 
. Gilbert Dennison Harris ; with discussions of their 
I uses for water supplies and for rice irrigation, by 
M. L. Fuller. Washington, Gov't print, off., 1904. 

98 p., 1 1. illus., 11 pi. (inch map). 235 cm . (U. S. Geological survey. 
Water-supply and irrigation paper no. 101.) 
Subject series O, Underground waters, 23. 



Harris, Gilbert Dennison. 

, . . Underground waters of southern Louisiana, by 
Gilbert Dennison Harris ; with discussions of their 
uses for water supplies and for rice irrigation, by 
M. L. Fuller. Washington, Gov't print, off., 1904. 

98 p., 1 1. illus., 11 pi. (inch map). 23A cm . (U. S. Geological survey. 
Water-supply and irrigation paper no. 101. ) 
Subject series O, Underground waters, 23. 



U. S. Geological survey. 

Water-supply and irrigation papers 

I no. 101. Harris, G. D. Underground waters of south- 
■ ern La., by G. D. Harris; with discussions of 

their uses for water supplies and for rice irri- 
gation, by M. L. Fuller. 1904. 

U.S. Dept. of the Interior. 

a 

I see also 

" U. S. Geological survey. 



SEP 16 1904 



Series K— Pumping Water. 

WS 1. Pumping water for irrigation, by H. M. Wilson. 1896. 57 pp., 9 pl8. 

WS 8. Windmills for irrigation, by E. C. Murphy. 1897. 49 pp., 8 pis. 

WS 14. New tests of certain pumps and water lifts used in irrigation, by O. P. Hood. 1898. 

91pp., lpl. 
WS 20. Experiments with windmills, by T. O. Perry. 1899. 97 pp., 12 pis. 
WS 29. Wells and windmills in Nebraska, by E. H. Barbour. 1899. 85 pp.* 27 pis. 
WS 41. The windmill; its efficiency and economic use, Pt. I, by E. C. Murphy. 1901. 72 pp., 14 pla. 
WS 42. The windmill, Pt. II (continuation of No. 41). 1901. 73-147 pp., 15-16 pis. 
WS 91. Natural features and economic development of Sandusky, Maumee, Muskingum, and Miami 

drainage areas in Ohio, by B. H. Flynn and M. S. Flynn. 1904. 130 pp. 

Series L— Quality of Water. 

WS 3. Sewage irrigation, by G. W. Rafter. 1897. 100 pp., 4 pis. 

WS 22. Sewage irrigation, Part II, by G. W. Rafter. 1899. 100 pp., 7 pis. 

WS 72. Sewage pollution in the metropolitan area near New York City and its effect on inland 

water resources, by M. O. Leighton. 1902. 75 pp., 8 pis. 
WS 76. Observations on the flow of rivers in the vicinity of New York City, by H. A. Pressey. 

1903. 108 pp., 13 pis. 
WS 79. Normal and polluted waters in northeastern United States, by M. O. Leighton. 1903. 

192 pp. 

Series M — General Hydrographic Investigations. 

WS 56. Methods of stream measurement. 1901. 51 pp., 12 pis. 

WS 64. Accuracy of stream measurements, by E. C. Murphy. 1902. 99 pp., 4 pis. 

WS 76. Observations on the flow of rivers in the vicinity of New York City, by H. A. Pressey. 1903. 

108 pp., 13 pis. 
WS 80. The relation of rainfall to run-off, by G. W. Rafter. 1903. 104 pp. 
WS 81. California hydrography, by J. B. Lippincott. 1903. 488 pp., lpl. 
WS 88. The Passaic flood of 1902, by G. B. Hollister and M. O. Leighton. 1903. 56 pp., 15 pis. 
WS 91. Natural features and economic development of Sandusky, Maumee, Muskingum, and Miami 

drainage areas in Ohio, by B. H. Flynn and M. S. Flynn. 1904. 130 pp. 
WS 92. The Passaic flood of 1903, by M. O. Leighton. i904. 48 pp., 7 pis. 
WS 94. Hydrographic manual of the United States Geological Survey, prepared by E. C. Murphy, 

J. C. Hoyt, and G. B. Hollister. 1904. 76 pp., 3 pis. 
WS 95. Accuracy of stream measurements (second edition) , by E. C. Murphy. 1904. 169 pp., 6 pis. 
WS 96. Destructive floods in the United States in 1903, by E. C. Murphy. 1904. 81 pp., 13 pis. 

Series N— Water Power. 

WS 24. Water resources of State of New York, Pt. I, by G. W. Rafter. 1899. 92 pp., 13 pis. 

WS 25. Water resources of State of New York, Pt. II, by G. W. Rafter. 1899. 100-200 pp., 12 pis. 

WS 41. Profiles of rivers, by Henry Gannett. 1901. 100 pp., 11 pis. 

WS 62. Hydrography ot the Southern Appalachian Mountain region, Pt. I, by H. A. Pressey. 1902. 

95 pp., 25 pis. 
WS 63. Hydrography of the Southern Appalachian Mountain region, Pt. II, by H. A. Pressey. 1902. 

9G-39o pp., 26-44 pis. 
WS 09. Water powers of the State of Maine, by H. A. Pressey. 1902. 124 pp., 14 pis. 

IRK 101—3 




Series O— Underground Waters. 

WS 4. A reconnaissance in southeastern Washington, by I. C. Russell. 1897. 96 pp. 7 pis. 

WS 6. Underground waters of southwestern Kansas, by Erasmus Ha worth. 1897. 65 pp., 12 ) 

WS 7. Seepage waters of northern Utah, by Samuel Fortier. 1897. 50 pp., 3 pis. 

WS 12. Underground waters of southeastern Nebraska, by N. H. Darton. 1898. 56 pp., 21 pis. 

WS 21. Wells of northern Indiana, by Frank Leverett. 1899. 82 pp., 2 pis. 

WS 26. Wells of southern Indiana (continuation of No. 21), by Frank Leverett. 1899. 64 pp. 

WS 30. Water resources of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, by A. C. Lane. 1899. 97 pp., 7 pis. 

WS 31. Lower Michigan mineral waters, by A. C. Lane. 1899. 97 pp., 4 pis. 

WS 34. Geology and water resources of a portion of southeastern South Dakota, by J. R. T< 

34 pp., 19 pis. 
WS 53. Geology and water resources of Nez Perces County, Idaho, Pt. I, by I. C. Russell. 

pp., 10 pis. 
WS 54. Geology and water resources of Nez Perces County, Idaho, Pt. IT, by I. C. Russell. 1901. 

87-141 pp. 
WS 55. Geology and water resources of a portion of Yakima County. Wash., by G. O. Smith. 1901. 

68 pp., 7 pis. 
WS 57. Preliminary list of deep borings in the United States, Pt. I, by N. TI. Darton. 1902. 60 pp. 
WS ")9. Development and application of water in southern California, Pt. I, by J. B. Lippincott. 

1902. 95 pp., 11 pis. 
0. Development and application of water in southern California, Pt. II, by J. B. Lippincott 

1902. 96-140 pp. 

WS 61. Preliminary list of deep borings in the United States'. Pt. II, by N. H. Darton. 1902. 67 pp. 
WS 67. The motions of underground waters, by 0. S. Slighter. 1902. 106 pp., 8 pis. 
B 199. Geology and water resources of the Snake River Plains of Idaho, by I. C. Russell. 1902. 192 

pp., 25 pis. 

WS 77. W 7 ater resources of Molokai, Hawaiian Islands, by Waldemar Lindgren. 1903. 62 pp.. ! pK 
Preliminary report on artesian basins in southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon, by 

I. C. Russell. 1903. 53 pp., 2 pis. 
PP 17. Preliminary report on the geology and water resources of Nebraska west of the one hundred 

and third meridian, by N. H. Darton. 1903. 69 pp., 43 pis. 
WS 90. Geology and water resources of part of the lower James River Valley, South Dakota, by J. E. 

Todd and C. M. Hail. 1904. 45 pp., 19 pis. 
WS 101. Underground waters of southern Louisiana, by G. D. Harris, with discussions of their uses 

for water supplies and for rice irrigation, by M. L. Fuller. 1904. 98 pp., 11 pis. 
The following papers also relate to this subject: Underground waters of Arkansas Valley in eastern 
Colorado, by G.K.Gilbert, in Seventeenth Annual, Pt. II; Preliminary report on artesian waters of a 
portion of the Dakotas, by N. H. Darton, in Seventeenth Annual, Ft. II; Water resources of Illinois, 
by r Frank Leverett, in Seventeenth Annual, Pt. II; Water resources of Indiana and Ohio, by Frank 
Leverett, in Eighteenth Annual, Pt, IV; New developments in well boring and irrigation in eastern 
South Dakota, by N. H. Darton, in Eighteenth Annual, Pt. IV; Rock waters of Ohio, by Edward 
Orton, in Nineteenth Annual, Pt. IV; Artesian well prospects in the Atlantic Coastal Plain region, 
by N. H. Darton, Bulletin No. 138. 

Series P — Hydrographic Progress Reports. 

Progress reports may be found in the following publications: For 1888-89, Tenth Annual, Pt. It: 
for 1889-90, Eleventh Annual, Pt. II; lor 1890-91, Twelfth Annual, Pt. U; for 1891-92, Thirteenth 
Annual, Pt. Ill; for 1893-94, B 131; for 1895, B 110; lor 1896, Eighteenth Annual, Pt. IV, WS 11; for 
1897, Nineteenth Annual, Pt. IV, WS 15, 16; for 1898, Twentieth Annual, Pt. IV, WS 27, 28; for Ls99, 
Twenty-first Annual, Pt. IV, WS 35-39: for 1900, Twenty-second Annual, Pt. IV, WS 47-52, for 1901, 
WS 05, 66, 75; for 1902, WS 82-85. 

Correspondence should be addressed to 

The Director, 

United States Geological Survey, 

Washington, D. C. 
irr 101 — 4 



G. P- °» •kP r ° 05 ' 



